From the Ashes
by WordsLikeStardust
Summary: Forgiveness is the first step on the road to redemption. But for Haley Mariano it's easier said than done. Her Exfiance's betrayal fresh in her heart she's ready to throw in the towel. Her friends are at a loss. But there is one man who is determined to bring the real Haley back and perhaps earn her forgiveness to redeem himself. And that man is Randy Orton. Sequel to No Boundaries
1. Prologue: Battleships

**From the Ashes**

**Summary:** After surviving a war against Legacy, Haley Mariano thought her life was finally back on track. She was drawing closer and closer to her wedding day, the impending birth of her goddaughter and her reign as the WWE Women's Champion was going strong.

But her world was about to crash and burn. Suddenly Dave Batista, the man she planned on spending the rest of her life with, breaks up with her and reveals an affair with fellow Diva Layla. And to add insult to injury, the night he breaks up with her, he costs her the Women's title against Layla in a match on SmackDown before getting her traded back to Raw, sans rematch. And if that wasn't bad enough, the house they bought in Ipswich had been put on the market without her knowledge and has been sold and she had two weeks to move out.

Devastated and at loss at what to do, Haley finds herself in a funk that not even Triple H and the Rock know how to bring her out of. Her friends and family are worried, her co-workers on Raw are baffled by her almost autopilot responses at work and she hasn't even started house hunting, choosing instead to take up residence in John Cena's pool house.

It'll fall to the last person anyone expects to snap her out of it.

Randy Orton has already begun his own journey on his road to redemption. Therapy, medication and anger management classes have brought the Viper mostly back to his old self, following an ugly intervention from his parents. He's drawing further away from Legacy and working on being a better version of himself. Seeing Haley as she is scares the hell out of him, as he arguably knows her better than anyone and he can't just sit on the sidelines and watch her burn to ashes.

Randy might be on a mission to save himself, but he'll be damned if he's not going to save Haley while he's at it.

**Rated M for mature**

**Pairings:** Eventual Randy/Haley with Haley/Dave undertones, Triple H/Stephanie, The Rock/Candice Michelle, Evan Bourne/Kelly Kelly, John Cena/Nikki Bella, Undertaker/Michelle McCool, Christian/Tiffany, Chris Masters/Eve Torres

* * *

**Prologue: Battleships**

_"Cause I don't want to fight no more, even if the waves get rough. I don't want to see the day we say we've had enough. I don't want to fight this war, bullets coming off my lips. But we stick to our guns and we love like battleships. Like battleships." - Daughtry_

**_Extreme Rules 2010_**

Inside the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, WWE Superstars, Divas and personnel milled around frantically as they put on the annual WWE pay-per-view Extreme Rules for the nine thousand people in the stands and the hundreds of thousands of people watching at home.

Adam Copeland, or Edge, as he was known more commonly, stepped outside his locker room ready for his steel cage match against Chris Jericho, which was due to go off in about fifteen minutes. He ran a hand through his long mane of blonde hair and started in the direction of the gorilla position, only pausing when he recognized the Diva up ahead, who was seated on the floor in v position, stretching in preparation for her own match scheduled to go on right after his.

Edge cleared his throat and came to a stop several steps away from her. "Haley?"

The young woman looked up at the sound of her name, her long auburn falling back over her shoulders in careless waves while the front section had been braided off her face and tucked behind her left ear. Like him, she wore wrestling attire, though hers consisted of black micro shorts and an emerald green crop top, with the stand boots, elbow and knee pads.

"Hey Edge." She greeted him friendly enough, as they'd never really interacted before now, but her eyes were full of curiosity. "Good luck." She told him, referring to his upcoming bout.

"Thanks." He relaxed down into a crouch beside her. "Listen, this is really none of my business and you can tell me to go screw or whatever, but do you mind if I say something?"

"It's a free country." She shrugged, giving him her full attention. "Like you said, I can always tell you to go screw."

He laughed, charmed by her response and the brief thought of Batista being a moron flitted through his head. "I know you've been through a really rough time for about a year now, and you've more than earned the right to break from all the drama, but before you get serious with Morrison, will you take a minute and consider Randy for a minute."

He saw the shield go up in her eyes, recognized it as he had seen that expression on Triple H's face many times in the past.

"Listen, I know Orton was a total douchebag to you last year. I saw it. But as a guy who's been desperate enough to do reprehensible things, unforgivable things, I can see where he's coming from better than most people. He's trying to find his own redemption. Hell, he's partnering you tonight to help get your title back isn't he?" He continued before she could tell him off. "I'm not saying you have to forgive him right away. I know he's got a long way to go, but you're giving him a chance by letting him back into your life right now, to help you."

"What are you trying to say?" A small line creased her brow as she studied him with confusion in her expression.

"I'm saying, you're good for him, always have been. And I know he went off the rails last year. I saw it happen." Edge reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "But as one of Randy's only true friends, I also know he loves you more than he's ever loved anyone. And he's standing aside, letting you rebound with Morrison without so much as a flinch, and it's killing him a little inside because he's trying so hard to be the guy he always should have been. The guy that's good enough for you."

Haley sighed. "Against my better judgement, I'm working with Randy again, even allowing a shaky friendship right now. But I don't know if I can even forget about what happened enough to let him get that close."

"I'm not saying to dump Morrison and get together with Randy right this second." He shook his head. "I'm just asking you not to rule him out. I can't tell you all the details, because he swore me to secrecy when I found out, but I think you should ask him why he did what he did to you last year. Ask him to really explain. You might be surprised at what he has to say."

Edge got back to his feet. "I'm going to stay out of it now. I just felt like maybe if I said something, you'd take time to consider how hard he's worked at helping you and maybe why you allowed him to. I'll wish you luck, but I don't think you'll need it. I have a feeling you and Randy will emerged undefeated as a team, just like you always have been."

Having said his piece, the Rated R Superstar resumed his walk to the gorilla position, ignored the frenzied backstage coordinator who yapped at him about only have five minutes left before he was supposed to take the stage.

Haley meanwhile, was left staring after him, a thoughtful expression on her face.


	2. Wasted All These Tears On You

**Chapter One: Wasted All These Tears On You**

"_You left me, standing on the corner crying. Looking like a fool for trying. I don't even remember why I'm wasting all these tears on you. I wish I could erase your memory. Cause you didn't give a damn about me." - Cassadee Pope_

_**November 2009**_

Michelle McCool had not been prepared for tonight's SmackDown taping in the slightest. There had been no warning, not even the smallest clue to what had gone down. Up until chaos had basically erupted, she had been under the impression that it had been a pretty good day. She'd had a relatively low-key workout at the gym, had an enjoyable lunch with her boyfriend Mark Callaway, and had finalized all the details for Haley Mariano's bachelorette party with her fellow Bridesmaids Kelly Kelly, Maria Kanellis and the Maid of Honor Candice Michelle, soon to be Johnson.

At the thought of Haley, a worried frown crossed the Florida native's face and she slowly crossed to the other side of her hotel room where the bathroom door was located. She had heard the water for the shower shut off ten minutes ago and her last minute roommate had yet to emerge.

"Haley?" She knocked lightly. "Are you okay?"

Stupid question, Michelle thought, but she wasn't sure what else to say. _I know you had a really shitty day but could you come out here so I can feel better? _That would just be insensitive.

The door creaked open and Haley's pale visage appeared in the frame, her hair still dripping wet and only a towel wrapped around her small, trembling frame. She stared up at Michelle with red rimmed eyes. "No." She said in a tearful voice. "I'm not okay."

Not even caring about getting wet, Michelle pulled her into a tight hug. "Oh Haley, I don't even know what to say. I can't believe any of this myself."

"There's nothing to say." Haley made a gurgling sound and then the sobs erupted. "I feel like I can't even breathe, Michelle. I can't breathe!"

"Just hold on to me, Babe." Michelle gripped her friend tighter. "Deep breathes, in and out. And you just go ahead and cry. Let it out all out. We'll get you through this. I don't know how, but we will. I promise."

* * *

"So, how are you feeling today?"

It was a question that he heard every single day, several times from both of his parents and his siblings, for the past four months. And though he understood why they asked, why they were concerned, it was really starting starting to get on his nerves. But, they were doing it out of love, so he couldn't blame them for asking all the time.

"I'm fine, Mom." Randy Orton promised, closing the trunk door of his rental car. "It's been a quiet week. I'm going into the arena for Raw now, and I have a minor match against Kofi Kingston tonight."

"Randal." Even though he was approaching his 30th Birthday, his mother could still speak in a certain tone that had him feeling five years old all over again. "That boy smashed your car with a crowbar and dumped orange paint all over it. That is not minor."

"Mom, I haven't retaliated." He assured her. "Yet. I'll beat him fair and square tonight in the ring. He might be coming at me to get some claim to fame, but I can handle him in the ring, even if there's rumblings for Survivor Series."

"What kind of rumblings?" Elaine Orton demanded in her best no nonsense voice.

"Mom, it's okay." Randy resisted the urge to roll his eyes, convinced she would know even if she couldn't see him. "Just that we'd each captain a team for the traditional five on five elimination tag team match. If that happens, I'll put together a team and deal with it then."

"You won't hunt him down and try to make him pay?"

"I didn't do that over my car, I'm not going to do that over a pay-per-view match." Randy flashed his security clearance badge to the guard, who opened the door to allow him into the arena. "I'm fine okay? I promise."

"And you've been taking your medication?" Elaine pressed, not going to be satisfied until she had fully interrogated him.

"Yes Mom, Prolixin twice a day and Zoloft first thing in the morning." He lowered his voice now that he was inside the building and there could be eavesdroppers in the vicinity. "I'm managing my IED. I haven't had an episode in four months. Combine that with the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and I think I'm doing alright."

"Well you can't blame me for being worried. With that Kofi fellow coming after you, I worry you're going to relapse." His mother sighed heavily on the other end of the line. "I just don't want you to revert back into that horrible person. The one who beats up women and helpless old men. I know I didn't raise a son like that. We need to keep treating your illness."

Randy flinched at the reminder of his less than gracious moments. Sometimes it still felt like all his crimes had happened to someone else, but he was thoroughly aware of the damage his mental illness had caused while untreated. "I know Mom, I'm sorry you feel that way."

"Just keep up the positive news and I'll sleep better at night." Elaine told him. "Now you go on and have a good show. Your father and I will be watching. I love you, Randy."

"I love you too, Mom. I'll talk to you tomorrow." He told her before hanging up his phone and sliding it back into this pocket. "Okay, locker room. Where's the locker room?" He muttered to himself as he began navigating the various backstage hallways.

Though Randy had been diagnosed with IED (Intermittent Explosive Disorder) for well over a year now, he'd only begun treatment for it about four months prior following an intervention from his family. Bob and Elaine Orton had not raised such a violent son and he hadn't set a good example for his younger siblings Nathan and Rebecca. He had gone kicking and screaming to the Doctors and Therapists his father forced him to, but Elaine's tears had been his breaking point.

Bob Orton had been on the road most of Randy's youth, so it had been Elaine who had raised her three children and to see the violent man her eldest had turned out to be had caused her such anguish. Randy had caved then, finally seeking the help he had truly needed. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy had taught him how to manage his emotions, especially the anger and rage, and the medication had erased the black haze that he he been in since his IED had been triggered.

He was a work in progress at the moment, trying to get back to being the kind of man his mother would be proud of, but he had a long road ahead of him before that happened. There was a lot of shame associated with his IED driven actions and some of them were simply unforgivable, no matter how much he tried to repent.

"Hey Randy." Cody Rhodes, Randy's teammate and Legacy protege stepped out of one of the locker rooms and smirked at him. "We're in here."

"Cody." Randy nodded to him in greeting and followed him inside, where his other teammate and Cody's partner Ted Dibiase Jr. sat on a leather couch watching TV. "Ted."

"Sup Randy?" Ted tore his gaze away from an episode of NCIS and grinned at him. "You hear the news?"

"What news?" Randy looked between Ted and Cody in confusion. "Kofi didn't bash another one of my cars did he?"

"No nothing like that." Ted shook his head, an expression of dislike on his face for the aforementioned Jamaican superstar. "Haley Mariano is back on Raw as of tonight."

Randy's gym bag dropped to the floor with a dull thud. "What?" He asked, thoroughly surprised by the news. "I thought she and Dave were living happily ever after on SmackDown?"

"Wow, you really didn't hear." Cody laughed, looking thoroughly amused. "You'll love this. Dave dumped her ass."

"For Layla El." Ted added with a matching grin on his face. "And if that wasn't enough of a screw job, he not only got her booked in a title match against Layla that same night, he cost her the Championship."

"Shook the ropes completely fucking up No Boundaries, I thought she broke her neck on that landing. And to cap it off for the finale," Cody looked like the cat who got the cream. "He got her fired from SmackDown. Told Teddy Long it was him or Haley, and since Dave's a former World Champion, Mariano got her walking papers."

"Bitch should be on ECW right now." Ted shook his head. "Triple H has to be the only reason Stephanie got to Haley's contract first. You'd think being in the same building as Teddy Long, Tiffany would have snagged it."

"So you're telling me," Randy said slowly, his fingers clenching into white knuckled fists. "Dave fucking Batista cheated on Haley, broke up with her, cost her the Women's Championship and got her fired? All in one night?"

"Yup." Cody nodded. "And this might just be a rumor, but I heard he also sold their house without her knowledge and she has another week to move out. Looks like her world finally went to Hell, Randy, just like you wanted."

"Karma is a bitch. She should have picked you when she had the chance. Now she's gone down in flames, just like you told her she would. Stupid bitch." Ted chuckled heartily, revelling in her misfortune. "You can even rub it in her face now."

Cody and Ted were both unaware of their mentor's struggle to put his IED behind him. They were more familiar with the raging sociopath he used to be and expected this news to fill him with joy and satisfaction.

But, Randy Orton post medication and therapy, couldn't take joy in hearing that the former love of his life's world had completely been blown apart. No matter how much she had hurt him by not choosing him back then, all he felt now was anger on her behalf. It made no sense when he thought about how he felt about her four months ago when all he wanted was her pain. Perhaps he had come a lot farther than he thought.

* * *

Haley Mariano swung her rental car, a steel gray Hyundai accent, into an empty parking space in the expansive parking garage. She put her hand on the gear shirt and pushed it into park, before turning off the engine. But instead of removing her seatbelt and opening the door to get out of the car, she closed her eyes, exhaled heavily and leaned forward to rest her forehead against the steering wheel.

Sleep had come in short supply over the past week. She had been going through the motions of her life completely on autopilot, sleep should have been her sanctuary, but it eluded her for the most part, and what little she did manage was restless and full of unwanted reminders of the life that had just fallen out from underneath her.

She was living in hell. That was the only way to describe it. Dumped, defeated, fired and homeless all in the span of twenty-four hours. All four had been integral parts of what made her life happy. Now she was scrambling for a place to stay and damn lucky she had a good friend in Stephanie McMahon to employ her right away. Cancelling her dream wedding, losing her beloved house and the loss of her Championship to the women her fiance had left her for, that basically was what chalked up her life to complete and utter hell.

She gave herself one more moment, to just exhale the tension, before she sat up and mechanically began to remove her seatbelt and pop the trunk of her car. She had barely stepped out of the car before the trunk of her car slammed closed with her suitcase set on the pavement outside it.

"Saw you pull in." Hunter Helmsley stood behind her car and looked her over from head to toe. "How are you holding up, Punkin?"

The small thread of control she had on her emotions threatened to snap at the look of concern on her mentor slash father figure's crudely handsome face. This man was her foundation of support and with her entire life thrown into a clusterfuck, she knew would come to lean on him now more than she ever had before.

"I'm not good." She said honestly. "But I will get through this show."

He reached for her when she closed the distance between them and pulled her into a warm, solid, safe embrace. "You're going to get through more than just this show, Haley. I know it seems pretty bleak right now, but if you can get through everything you went through last Spring, you can get through this break up. You're strength won't fail you now."

"I've lost almost everything Hunter." She shook her head and looked up at him. "I don't know how I can come back from that."

"The same way we get through everything else. We keep fighting." He answered her, bending down to press a kiss on the top of her head. "Look, we'll get the rest of your things to Connecticut, you'll stay with Steph and me for awhile and we'll get you back on your feet."

"I can't believe the house is really gone." She swallowed thickly. "It was my dream house Hunter, I would have kept it without him."

"It was a dick move on his part, but then all his recent moves have been because of his dick." Hunter shook his head disgust. "It's like I don't even know the guy anymore, like he had some sort of lobotomy."

"Tell me about it." She closed her eyes again to ward off another onslaught of tears. "Our wedding was supposed to be less than thirty days away and now everything is in shambles."

"He'll get his, Haley. Karma always comes back to get you in this business, believe me, I know." He kept one arm around her and used the other to roll her suitcase along. "Come on, we'll get you into hair and make-up. You'll feel a little better when you see how happy a lot of people are to see you. You've been missed on this show."

"That is the only good thing right now." Haley reluctantly agreed. "As nice as SmackDown was, and being with Michelle all the time, Raw is home for me, always has been."

"Well then let it heal you, Punkin. It'll all get better in time." He promised. "You'll see."

Haley nodded, but she couldn't fully believe him. Her whole life was blown apart and she wasn't sure how to come back from that.

* * *

"Dave!" Layla El whined, entering their hotel room with a pout on her pretty face. "You're not going to believe what Teddy Long just did!"

Dave Batista resisted the urge to cringe at the grating tone in her voice and put what he hoped was a sympathetic expression on his face. "What did he do?"

"He just told me that because that bitch Haley is now on Raw and didn't get her rematch for the Women's Championship, he's going to name Michelle friggen McCool as the number one contender for my title!" Layla flung her hands out in exasperation. "He can't do that!"

"You're a Champion now, Layla." Dave reminded her, using most of his strength to keep from rolling his eyes. "You're going to have title matches all the time now."

"But against Michelle?! Just because she's that slut's best friend doesn't mean she automatically gets a title shot!" Layla raged. "Ugh, real talk now, I am so sick of having thrown in my face at every turn. It's not my fault she wasn't good enough for you, or for SmackDown. I'm flawless, she's not, everyone needs to get over it."

Dave sighed, tuning out her outburst. When the fury faded, Layla would become needy, which was much easier to manage. A few assurances that she was loved and wanted, a bout of sex and she'd quiet. Which would give him time to plan. Now that he had successfully gotten Haley out of the way of any backlash, he could steadily climb his way back to the top by any means necessary.

* * *

**A/N: Here it is, From the Ashes. I bet you're all thoroughly confused right now. Dave broke up with Haley for Layla, wtf? Haley was on SmackDown? She's back on Raw? What the frig is going on? Sit tight guys, all will be explained in due time. I know you're all very confused, but hopefully that confusion will keep you hooked enough to keep reading**


	3. Almost Is Never Enough

**Chapter Two: Almost Is Never Enough**

"_Almost is never enough. So close to being in love. If I would have known that you wanted me, the way I wanted you. Then maybe we wouldn't be two worlds apart but right here in each other's arms." - Ariana Grande_

"Hunter, you okay?"

"Huh?" The man known worldwide as Triple H, blinked in surprise. He had been deep in thought and hadn't even noticed his best friend, Shawn Michaels appearance until he stood directly in front of him. "Oh, hey Shawn."

The Heartbreak Kid's brow creased in concern. "You all right, Pal? You seem really serious."

"Worried." Hunter corrected, nodding in the direction of Haley, who stood several yards away from him in catering, having a surprisingly serious conversation with John Cena. "My girl is a mess right now."

"Yeah." Sympathy filled Shawn's voice. "That Dave did a number on her. No one saw it coming."

"You're telling me." Hunter agreed. "I mean, he's been acting a little strange recently. But even I couldn't predict something like this and I know that guy as good if not better than Haley did."

"Strange?" Shawn repeated, looking over at Hunter with a frown. "Strange how?"

Hunter thought back on the last conversation he'd had with his former protege and Evolution teammate.

* * *

_Three Weeks Ago…_

"_Come in." In the privacy of his home office, Hunter responded to the knock on the door, assuming it was his wife coming to inform him that dinner was ready. He kept his eyes on his laptop, which was showing a replay of Haley's most recent title defense against Mickie James. _

"_Solid performance." He commented to himself, not bothering to look up when the door opened. "Should do some work on submission maneuvers. Especially if Natalya keeps looking as sharp as he is." _

"_You never take a day off, do you?" The deep baritone voice that interrupted him sounded amused. "Even at home you're still as consumed by the business. You don't have any outside interests?" _

_Hunter glanced up in surprise, then grinned at his good friend Dave Batista. "What other interests? I've got everything I want or need all wrapped up in a nice WWE package." _

"_Never thought about doing more movies?" Dave dropped into one of the big leather chairs opposite the desk Hunter sat behind. _

"_If the opportunity arises, why not?" Hunter shrugged. "But if it doesn't, that's okay. I've got plenty to do right here." _

"_You never feel burned out? You never want a break from all the constant traveling and the endless shows?" Something in Dave's voice piqued Hunter's attention. _

"_No." The Game replied, giving Dave a cautious look. "Is that how you're feeling." _

_Dave waved it off. "Just random thoughts passing through my head. It's nothing." _

"_Okay." Unsure, Hunter decided to take his old friend at his word. "So what are you doing here, Dave? You and Haley have a fight or something." _

"_No. Her head's buried in flowers and whatever wedding thing is going on right now." Dave shook his head. "I came to ask you a favor, actually." _

"_What kind of favor?" Hunter frowned. "Cause as your Best Man, I've already got your bachelor party planned and I'm taking free reign, already cleared it with Haley, so you can't change it." _

"_No it's not that." Dave let a ghost of a smile cross his face and then reached into the inner pocket of his jacket. "It's this." He said, growing serious before sliding a plain white envelope across the top of the desk toward Hunter. Haley was written in Dave's untidy scrawl across the front. _

"_What is this?" Hunter lifted the envelope up for closer inspection. _

"_It's something I want you to give to Haley, a year from now, two years from now, whenever you think she's truly found perfect happiness, I want you to give that to her to read." Dave said. _

_Hunter looked at Dave quizzically. "Shouldn't you give it to her then? You are going to be her husband in about a month." _

_Dave scrubbed a hand over his face. "No one knows Haley better than you do, Hunter, not even me. I'll leave it up to your judgement. You'll know when she's ready. "_

"_This isn't making any sense, Dave. You're acting a little odd." Hunter told him. "Are you feeling okay?" _

"_Knowing you have that." He nodded toward the letter. "I feel better. I know you'll always be there for Haley, no matter what. So I know you're the right person to give that to her." He got to his feet. "Thanks Hunter." _

"_Sure Bud." Hunter opened the top door of his desk and slipped the letter inside. "I'll expect you to explain this to me at some point." _

"_I will." Dave promised. "After Haley reads it. Speaking of, I need to get home to her. I'll see you later Hunter." _

"_All right. See ya."_

* * *

"He was planning it this whole time." Hunter realized, speaking his thoughts out loud.

"Planning what?" Shawn asked his oldest friend curiously.

"To break up with her." Hunter looked at Shawn with a shrewd, thoughtful expression on his face. "He knew he was going to shatter her heart and planned ahead. He wrote a fucking letter."

"What letter?" Shawn repeated, looking more confused than ever.

"Something fishy is going on, Shawn." Hunter informed him. "And if anyone's going to get to the bottom of this, it's me."

* * *

"John, I can't." Haley shook her head. "I appreciate the offer, really. But I'm not going to impose on you."

"Who said anything about imposing?" John Cena argued. "Look Hales, I have a freaking mansion in Tampa, complete with a poolhouse for guests. It only makes sense that you use it until you can get back on your feet and out in the housing market again."

"I don't think your new girlfriend is going to appreciate me moving in with you." She protested. "And since we've," She gestured between them. "Dated in the past, I can't say I'd blame her."

"First of all, you and me are way over. Water way under the bridge. Secondly, it's not like you'll be living in my bedroom. You won't even be in the main house. You'll have the poolhouse, a completely separate building all to yourself." John rebuffed her protest. "And finally, you and I are friends Haley, and friends help each other when they need it. So let me help you. I'm pretty sure Nikki will understand, and if she doesn't, well I'm not sure I want that kind of insecurity in my life anyway."

Haley sighed. "You really have thought this through, haven't you?"

"Barring punching Dave in the face repeatedly until he spits out all his teeth," John shrugged. "I figured this was the best way to make you feel better. You're not shacking up with Hunter and the Missus and I occasionally have a roommate to share meals with when Nikki isn't around."

"You make it all sound very logical." She nodded slowly. "All right John, we'll give this a try. But the first sign of trouble from Nikki, or you I'm gone."

"Deal." John reached out and gently squeezed her shoulder. "I'll help you pack up the rest of your things this week and we'll get you settled in. Mi casa es su casa, Hales."

"You're not seriously going to move in with this dimwit, are you?" Hunter, having heard the last part of their conversation, joined them looking appalled. "Haley, you can't be serious. You'll catch whatever brain disease he has. Just stay with Steph and me."

"Firstly, fuck you." John told Hunter with a smirk. "Secondly, Steph will want her personal space after a while and I have a poolhouse Haley can have all to herself. So suck it, Helmsley."

"That's my line, Cena." Hunter shook his head. "Though I suppose you do have a point about Steph. She can be very territorial."

"So it's a win-win situation. Haley lives in my poolhouse and you keep your wife from killing you." John joked. "Relax Hunter, I'll take care of her."

"You better, or it'll be your head on a pike." Hunter warned.

"I'm not a five year old who needs a babysitter." Haley informed both men, reminding them of her presence. "I'll only be living with John temporarily, until I find my own place."

"Take your time." John assured her. "Now don't we have a show to get ready for?"

"I suppose we do." Haley nodded reluctantly. "I haven't even seen a match card yet."

Both men stared at her in surprise. The first thing Haley checked upon entering the arena was the match card...usually, anyway.

"You're tagging with Melina vs Maryse and Alicia Fox." Hunter told her.

"Right." Haley shrugged. "Better go get changed then. See you two later." Her eyes were resigned as she left them to head back to the Diva's locker room.

"Not good, Hunter." John told the Game. "She always knows the match card."

"Cut her a little slack Cena, she's having a rough go of it." Hunter said gruffly, though he too was worried. "She'll come back around. She always does."

* * *

Randy exited his locker room under the guise of getting water from catering. Truthfully, he needed a break from his teammates and their constant bitching about anything and anyone on Raw. Maybe six months ago he would have joined in with them, but right now he just wasn't in the mood for it. He had an important match tonight. And maybe it wasn't a title match, but he needed to nip Kofi Kingston's rise to fame on his coat tails in the bud.

Kofi had the potential to move into main event status, but Randy had no intention of being one of the rungs of his ladder to get there. Randy wanted his own chance in the spotlight and the only way to keep Kofi from one upping him was to defeat him, cleanly, tonight. He needed to be in the right mindset for it and listening to Ted and Cody whine tended to give him a migraine instead.

He was going to have to do something about that, and soon. At the moment, he really didn't have the heart to disband Legacy altogether. Maybe he had gone about forming the stable the wrong way, but he couldn't deny the potential they had. He just wasn't sure how to get Legacy moving in a positive direction when he was the only one who was on a path of change and Ted and Cody were content to put down others in order to get what they wanted.

Frankly, he just didn't have the energy or the care enough to convert them right now. With Survivor Series coming up and all the work he was doing outside the ring to better himself, trying to change others would take effort he just didn't have in him right now.

As he turned the corner to head down the hall towards where catering had been set up, Randy's eyes drifted toward the figure approaching him from the opposite direction. Everything in him seemed to freeze mid-stride in recognition.

To him, Haley Mariano was still the most beautiful woman in the world. He had loved and hated her for that on more than one occasion. Her auburn hair was longer now than when he had last seen her, falling waves to her shoulder blades. She was petite, just reaching five foot four, and her build was slender but strong, with the subtlest of curves.

Her face was pretty enough, with an aquiline nose, almond shaped eyes, just slightly rounded cheekbones and just leaning towards bottom heavy mouth. But, she would never be proclaimed a world renowned beauty, some would argue that Randy had been with more beautiful women in the past.

But, Randy had only ever been truly, madly, deeply been in love with this one. She had been a thief, stealing his heart before he had fully realized she had made it hers. Much to his surprise, he had been more than willing to love her, rather than afraid of what she made him feel. He had never wanted to be with someone so badly and he was willing to do whatever she needed to make that happen. There was nothing he wouldn't have done for her.

Loving Haley had made a man out of him.

Hating her had made the man a monster.

Looking at her now was akin to sticking his emotions in a blender. There was love, hurt, anger, uncertainty and most important, a tidal wave of guilt that crashed through him. His own breath seemed to clog in his throat when those eyes of hers looked up and met his.

Like him, she froze immediately at the sight of him. And self-loathing rolled through him when they filled with fear. She had every right to fear him, he had brutalized her this past year, and had done everything in his power to ruin her.

He had failed. He could still remember that moment of triumph in her eyes the night of Extreme Rules last year. He had been on Batista's shoulders merely seconds away from a Batista Bomb and an epic defeat, and he had locked eyes with her. She had been smiling from ear to ear, vindication and joy shining on her face as he, her tormentor, finally got what was coming to him.

Every time he thought about what he did to her, he knew he had deserved worse than what he got from her and Batista.

But there was no Batista now. He could see that clearly enough by the pain that seemed to radiate from her. There was a slump in her shoulders, a heaviness in her steps and an exhausted downturn of her mouth. Not even he, with everything he had done to her in the past, had made her look so...defeated.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Haley."

She winced at the sound of her name from his lips as though he had struck a physical blow.

"I won't hurt you." He promised, though he knew she knew she had no reason to believe him. He held his hands up in front him anyway, a gesture of peace. "I won't lay a hand on you, ever again. I promise."

"Your promises mean nothing to me, Orton." She said in a hollow voice. "What do you want?"

"Nothing." He told her and he stepped aside to give her more room. "I'll stay out of your way."

She didn't move right away, still looking at him with distrust clear in her chocolate brown eyes. Only when he remained standing completely still did she take a hesitant step forward. Then another, and another before she completely passed him and hurried away from as quickly as she could without breaking into an all out run.

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "No less than you deserve." He told himself. "Best to not even think about it. That ship has sailed." With one last regretful look over his shoulder, he continued on his way to catering.

* * *

**A/N: Awkward much? lol Randy and Haley are going to have a lot more awkward run ins coming up. And we'll delve a little more into Dave's POV as he makes his "heel" turn. SandraSmit19 you mentioned that Dave is not only an asshole for what he's done, but a deluded one as well hahaha which while true, as we go along you're going to see more and more why Dave did what he did. It won't make what he did okay by any means, but it'll be more understandable. Be a little patient with him lol he's not perfect by any means :D**


	4. Call Your Name

**Chapter Three: Call Your Name**

_"You never said that it would be this hard. Love is meant to be forever, now or never seems to discard. There's got to be a better way for me to say what's on my heart without leaving scars. So can you hear me when I call your name?" - Chris Daughtry_

"No, I'm afraid the wedding's been called off so we will no longer be in need of your catering services." Haley's eyes blinked against the sting of tears while clutching her cellphone to her right ear. "Yes, I understand you are entitled to the deposit. Yes, thank you. Yes, you have a nice day too, bye."

She hit the end call button on her phone and stared at the small mobile device in her hand. No matter how many things she cancelled for what should have been her wedding, the pain just seemed to worsen instead of getting better.

"You should let me make some of those calls for you, Hales." John Cena glanced at his seatmate. Their plane was due for lift off in another ten minutes and she had spent the last hour cancelling all the hard work she had put into planning her wedding.

"I'm done for now." Haley shook her head, powering down the phone and slipping it back into her purse. "How long is the flight to Tampa?" She asked, changing the subject.

"About three hours give or take." He eyed her worriedly. "You'll like living there, Hales. It's sunny and warm most of the time and you have my pool to take advantage of."

"I've never really lived anywhere but Massachusetts." Haley admitted with a slight shrug. "Hopefully the change will do me some good."

"I know how hard it was for you to pack up that house." John reached over to grasp one of her hands in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. "So hopefully you're right and getting out of Massachusetts for a little while will help."

"Well we're about to find out." She said as the fasten seatbelt sign lit up and the Captain's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Wheels up."

"It's all going to work out, Hales." John assured her. "You'll see."

* * *

"This place looks like a bachelor pad." Layla said with a slight sneer as she took a look around Dave's new home in Tampa, Florida.

Dave set their bags down inside the door and grit his teeth. "Since it's just me who lives here and I am in fact a bachelor, I suppose it should."

The 2006 Diva Search Winner caught the bite in his tone and smiled brightly at him. "It's just needs a woman's touch, Baby. I can help with that."

Layla El was no fool. She was under no impression that Dave had fallen madly in love with her while planning his wedding to another woman. She had a feeling he was using her, for what she wasn't entirely sure. But, Layla was smart enough to know her career had the potential to remain flat and uninspired without a little help from a big name in her corner. So if Dave wanted to use her, even if it was just to keep his former fiance at bay, Layla would use him right back.

It just grated on her that if she wanted to remain the Women's Champion, she needed Dave way more than he needed her and that required a little ass kissing.

"No pink and nothing too girly." He warned her with a grimace. "I already enough women's touches for now. I like my place being manly."

He left Layla to explore on her own and headed upstairs to his bedroom, in the mood for a hot shower to wash the jet lag and previous night's grime away.

He had stayed up late to watch the Raw broadcast two nights ago, mostly to see what the plan had been for the Diva's roster there since it had been Haley's first night back on the red brand. Stephanie McMahon hadn't disappointed, she had played up Haley's return to Raw, placing her in a tag team match with the Diva's Championship contender Melina vs the Diva's Champion herself, Maryse and her partner Alicia Fox.

Haley hadn't really been up to par for what the crowd had been expecting. Her team had won the match, but more due to Melina's ability over Haley's lackluster performance. She had gone through her arsenal of maneuvers mechanically, her heart not really in it. That had given her opponent the opportunity to get in a few cheap shots, that normally Haley would have avoided or countered with ease.

Internally, he hoped she would be back to her usual Champion performances next week. Outwardly, he needed to put on the facade that he was thrilled by her failure and obvious pain over him. He would have to relish in their break up when the three rosters joined up at Survivor Series. When in all honesty, he was just as miserable as Haley was most likely feeling.

The difference was he was enduring this misery for a reason and he had to pretend he wasn't. He had to go out there and put in 110 percent in every performance. He needed to pretend that Layla actually meant something to him, when he honestly couldn't care about her either way.

Because if he didn't make her hate him, he would risk bringing Haley down this dark path with him. And that was just something he couldn't do.

* * *

"Hi welcome to Walgreen's!" The clerk at the front cash register greeted him cheerfully as he entered the small pharmacy slash convenience store.

"Thanks." Randy grunted in reply heading towards the back where the pharmacy was located, his prescriptions for prolixin and zoloft clenched in his fist.

Though he couldn't stand taking pills everyday, he knew the combination of the antipsychotic and the antidepressant kept his IED under control. They had been prescribed by his therapist, whom he had grudgingly grown to respect and had been approved by the very discreet WWE medical staff. And since they also gave his family peace of mind, Randy dutifully refilled his prescriptions and swallowed the pills twice a day.

He just didn't have to like it.

There was a small line in front of the counter, so Randy took his spot and let his mind wander while he waited. Team Kingston vs Team Orton had been announced for Survivor Series and he would have to put together a team within the next week for the pay-per-view. Rumor was that Kofi Kingston had already gained a formidable teammate in the ECW Champion, Christian, which meant that besides Ted and Cody, it would probably be to Randy's benefit to have Christian's main rival William Regal on his team. That left one open spot that he would have to consider very carefully about who would fill it.

"Orton?"

Randy stopped thinking about Survivor Series and twisted his head at the sound of his name being called. He blinked in recognition and the beginnings of a smirk curved his mouth. "Copeland."

"What is everyone in Tampa this week or something?" Adam Copeland, better known by his ring moniker of Edge, ambled over to his former Rated RKO teammate. "I swear I've run into more wrestlers being home injured than I was when I was on the tour."

"How are you feeling?" Randy asked, referring to the achilles tendon Edge had torn back in the summer. "Any word on your return?"

Edge shook his head in disgust. "Nah, my physical therapists are being pretty tight lipped about the whole thing. But I'm least I'm walking around on my own now. I'm just here to pick up my last dosage of pain killers. How about you?"

"Just refilling a prescription." Randy shrugged his question off dismissively. "Probably going to hit the gym after."

Edge wasn't so easily deterred. He was known for being up in everyone's business. That knowledge helped him keep his reputation as the Ultimate Opportunist. "I don't know you to have prescriptions. You on painkillers or antibiotics or something?"

"Neither." Randy grimaced, knowing his old friend very well. "It's just some minor stuff, Edge."

"Then why don't you want to tell me?" Edge countered.

"Because I don't want the whole backstage to be gossiping about it." Randy retorted. "It's personal and very private."

"Man," Edge rolled his eyes. "You're one of the few people I actually like Orton. I'm not going to stick that kind of knife in your back."

"It's stuff for my IED okay?" Randy finally admitted. "My parents made me going into therapy and anger management. I take pills to keep the rage under control. That way I don't do what I did to Haley, to anyone else."

"Whoa, wait a minute." Edge held a hand up to pause him. "So you're telling me you really were sick when you went after the "former love of your life" the way you did?"

"Yeah. I mean I'm hurt that she's not with me, but I don't want to put her in the hospital ever again." Randy sighed. "It makes me sick just thinking about those two physicals altercations I did to her man."

"As someone who's knocked around a couple Divas without the sickness," Edge gave him a chagrined sort of look. "I get where you're coming from. I always felt like sludge afterwards. I'd do almost anything for a title, so I kind of understood you last year."

"Hurting Haley hadn't been about a title, Edge, not really. It was about revenge and now that my brain's a little clearer," Randy shrugged. "I don't feel the need to punish her. I just feel guilt whenever I think about her and it was worse when I saw her on Raw this week. She already looked sad, but the fear in her eyes, I put it there. And I hate myself for it."

"Hey, I get it, Man." Edge clapped him on the shoulder. "Have you tried apologizing?"

"She won't let me near enough to get the chance. And I'm not risking the wrath of Triple H right now to try." Randy looked down at the papers in his fist. "I want to explain why I did what I did, but it doesn't change the fact that I did it. And she has every right to hate me for it. The least I can do for her is let her."

* * *

"Now Mama," Dwayne Johnson spoke warningly to his pregnant fiance, Candice Michelle, as they headed around the side of John Cena's huge mansion to the smaller poolhouse in the back. "Don't hover or mother hen her, okay? I know you want to, but I think Triple H has done enough of that for everyone over the past few days."

Candice shot Dwayne an almost resentful look. "Dwayne, she's my best friend in the whole world. And her heart just got shattered by that giant ape of man and since I can kick his ass like I want to, I'm going to fret over Haley and do whatever I can to make her feel better."

"I think us just visiting her will be enough, Baby." He gently gripped her arm as they crossed John's still damp pool deck. "We'll make her dinner, we'll chat about the baby and talk shop and hopefully the distraction of that will help her feel better."

"Fine." Candice nodded slowly in agreement, pressing a hand to the swell of her stomach. "Just promise me you'll kick Dave's ass the first chance you get."

"That will be my pleasure." Dwayne assured her, raising his other hand to gently rap on the glass pane of the door.

A moment later, John Cena ambled into view and opened the door to let them in. "Hey Candicane!" He bent down to hug her first in greeting. "You look great! Pregnancy suits you."

"Thanks John!" Candice's face brightened at the compliment, since most days she felt on the fat and frumpy side. "Where's Haley?"

"In her room, setting up the last of her things." John answered her, shooting Dwayne a bemused look. "Johnson."

"Cena." Dwayne greeted him back in a completely deadpan voice.

"Uh uh." Candice shot them both a warning look. "There is no room for egos here. Set it aside for today boys."

With one last mutual look of dislike, both men nodded. "Fine."

"Good." Satisfied, Candice headed for the kitchen. "You stocked the place with everything we need for tonight, right John?"

"Yes." John stepped aside to allow Dwayne in to follow his fiance. "Nikki should be here soon too."

"Excellent!" Candice replied. "A quiet dinner with friends is just what Haley needs!"

* * *

"Take a seat, Haley Baby." Dwayne gestured to the L-shaped counter in the small kitchen of the poolhouse. John was currently giving Candice a tour of his entire home and it provided the first opportunity for Dwayne to have Haley alone so he could talk to her without interruption.

Haley dutifully hopped up onto the kitchen counter and eyed the spread Dwayne was currently putting together for dinner. "You didn't have to go to all this trouble, you know." She told him. "We could have just ordered take out."

Dwayne plucked a ripe tomato from the fruit bowl in front of him and began to slice it for the salad he was putting together. "One, it's no trouble, Haley and two, this is healthier than takeout. Besides, it gives me the chance to check on you."

"Which you don't have to do all the time." She sighed, reaching forward to grab an apple from the bowl for herself. "My heart's broken, not my body. You and Candice have a baby coming to worry about."

"We are both excellent multi-taskers and can worry about both the baby and you, respectively, Haley Baby." The Rock lifted his signature eyebrow in her direction. "Also, I know with everything that went down with that good for nothin' jabroni, Dave that you are far from fine."

"But I'm breathing and before you make a wisecrack," She took a bite from her apple. "John is going to be around almost twenty-four seven to take of me if I need him to."

"He can barely take care of himself, so that doesn't make me feel better." Dwayne shook his head. "I'd take more comfort in you staying with Hunter, or Candice and me."

"Both you and Hunter need some privacy in your home lives. I'm not intruding on John here, since I live in this mini house in his backyard." She pointed out mid-chew. "I'm not going to break into a million little pieces, Dwayne. I'm just, not going to be happy and bubbly any time soon. You know, you went through a divorce. Time is the only thing that heals this type of hurt. And even then, there's no guarantee it ever completely goes away."

"I've never been the most patient person." He reminded her, setting his knife down and turning to embrace her. "I've only ever wanted for you to be happy, Haley Baby. It wrecks me to see you hurting like this and there's nothing I can do to fix it."

Haley wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in the crook of his shoulder. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to absorb the comfort that had always been there the majority of her life. Her heart might be in pieces, but she could move on. Dwayne had soothed most of the hurts in her life and with the support of her other friends, she would have to find a way to heal from this heartbreak.

She wasn't sure how, but they needed her to.

* * *

**A/N: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanzaa, or whatever Holiday you celebrate. Thank you so much for your continued support! It's the best gift I could ever receive from you all :)**


	5. I Was Gonna Marry You

**Chapter Four: I Was Gonna Marry You**

"_Just so you know, I never thought you'd let me go. I don't even know the truth. Yeah we were fine, then all at once you changed your mind. And I was gonna marry you." -Tristan Prettyman_

Haley pulled her lilac colored Nine West spinner suitcase out of the trunk of her rental car, a Chevrolet Cruz, and closed the lid before turning to face the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. Tonight the arena would host the annual WWE pay-per-view event, Survivor Series. In a last minute move, Haley had been added to Team McCool vs. Team Maryse in a Diva's five on five elimination tag team match for the event.

Normally a match on pay-per-view had her almost writhing with anticipation and excitement. Today, she simply felt resigned as she approached the back entrance to the arena. She would have to face the woman who stole her fiance and her title tonight, since Layla was a member of Team Maryse, and there was no guarantee that could get through the whole show without coming face to face with Dave at some point. That was something she really didn't want deal with tonight. She wasn't sure she could handle it.

Especially when she thought back to the last time she had come face to face with the man she loved.

* * *

"_I've got a title match against Layla tonight." Haley announced upon entering the locker room she shared with her fiance, SmackDown's Animal Dave Batista. "I didn't even know she was in the running." _

_Dave sat on the couch in front of the monitor, which was displaying SmackDown's opening credits. "I made it happen." _

_Haley paused in the action of pulling her ring attire from her suitcase. "i'm sorry," She blinked at him in confusion. "Did you just say __**you**_ _made it happen?" _

"_Yes." He stared back at her stonily. "Layla has proven to me she was worthy of a shot, so I appealed to Teddy Long on her behalf." _

_She could only gape at him in shock. "Why? How?" _

"_Why? Because like I said, she's proven herself to me. How? Because we've been sleeping together for the past month." He dropped the bomb the way another person would comment on the weather. _

_There was a roaring in her ears and a chill in her blood. "What?" _

"_I've been having an affair with Layla." Dave announced with a noncommittal shrug. "We've been enjoying each other. So I lobbied for her to get a title shot." He got to his feet and gave her a dismissive glance. "And if it's not already clear enough, wedding's off, Haley, we're done." _

_He brushed past her and headed for the door. "Oh, and there's one last stipulation to your match tonight," He added while opening the door. "If you lose tonight, you won't just lose your title, you'll lose your job here on SmackDown. So this is goodbye Haley." _

_He let his words hang in the air as he closed the door behind him._

* * *

"Miss?" The security guard at the door eyed her in concern. "You okay?"

Haley shook her head, brought back to the present by the sound of his voice. "Yes." She nodded. "I'm fine." She pulled her security clearance badge out of her coat pocket and held it up for his inspection.

"Okay." He opened the door for her. "Have a good show."

"Thanks." She stuffed the badge back into her pocket and headed inside, her suitcase rolling behind her. Since she had performed at the Verizon Center several times in the past, she knew her way around the locker room area and began navigating the hallways to the Diva's locker room.

All around her backstage techs flitted back and forth, setting up for the night's show. Black equipment cases were pressed against the walls and thick, black extension cords snaked from one room to another. Monitors were being set up for broadcast and several Superstars and Divas loitered, chatting with one another.

Haley turned the corner that led to the hallway containing the Diva's locker room and froze at the sight of the two people standing outside it.

Layla was leaning against the wall, smiling flirtatiously up at Dave, who was pressed right into her personal space, using one hand to brush a stray hair back from her face. It was a position and move he had done to Haley countless times over the course of their relationship. To see it mirrored with another woman, so shortly after their breakup, had Haley's heart lurched painfully in her chest.

She must have made some kind of noise that caught their attention because they both looked up at her in the same instant. Layla's smile shifted into a smirk of triumph, while Dave's smile turned upside down into a frown that could only be read as disdain.

"Look Dave," Layla was practically purring. "It's the _former_ Women's Champion, and your _former_ lover."

"I see that." Dave's voice was tight. "You're looking a little rundown, Haley."

"What he means is that you look like shit." Layla expanded cattily. "You might want to think about fixing that before you get fired from Raw too."

"The only way that would happen would be if you were sleeping with a top player from Raw as well, Layla." Haley retorted, feeling her hackles rise. "And since there just aren't enough hours in the day for you to service both brands, I think my job is pretty secure."

Layla's smirk contorted into a nasty scowl. "You watch your mouth you little bitch!"

"Or what?" Haley kept her eyes on Layla because looking at Dave hurt too much. "We both know that without Dave, you have no prayer of kicking my ass so I have nothing to fear from you."

"Ah, but Dave is here," Layla trailed her hand over the broad expanse of Dave's chest. "And since he's chosen me over your pathetic ass, you might want to show me some respect. You see I have the belt and I have Dave, so I have everything you want."

"By the hurt look on your face," Dave added. "I'd say you haven't let that sink yet. What's the matter, Haley? Still in denial because I ended our ridiculous sham of a relationship to be with a real woman?"

"One with boobs and an ass." Layla smirked again. "Don't cry now, Haley, I'm sure a little plastic surgery could help you in that area. But I'm not sure what can help your boring personality."

"She's doomed in that regard." Dave agreed. "Why don't we just call it like it is. She's poison and she destroys you from the inside out. I was lucky I broke up with you when I did."

"Look Dave," Layla's voice took on a level of glee at the wounded look on Haley's face. "I think she might actually cry now. How pathetic!"

"The only pathetic thing right now is the two of you." A deep gravelly voice cut them off coldly. "You seriously have nothing better to do with your time?"

All three of them looked behind Haley's shoulder and were stunned to see Randy Orton standing there, glaring daggers at Dave.

"What the fuck do you want, Randy?" Dave took a step away from Layla to get into a more defensive position.

Randy very slowly moved around Haley to step partially in front of her. "I want you to get the hell out of my face Dave. Every time I see you I'm reminded of what a washed up, has-been you are and what a waste it is for you to have any sort of air time."

"So," Dave looked almost amused. "That's your play? I break up with Haley and you think she's broken enough to let you slither back into her life. I guess the really pathetic one around here is you. But who knows Randy, she might just be desperate enough to have you now. I mean, only a shell of her remains since I've been through with her."

Haley gasped at the cruelty that dripped from Dave's words and her eyes stung with unshed tears.

"Bullseye!" Layla practically squealed with delight at Haley's reaction.

"You two are perfect for each other." Dave mused. "Both of you are worthless enough to suit each other. Congratulations Randy, you might finally get my leftovers after all."

Randy let out a humorless chuckle, then suddenly he was on Dave faster than a lightening strike. He had the Animal bodily thrown against the concrete of the wall with his forearm pressed against Dave's windpipe, cutting off Dave's air supply.

When Layla shrieked in outrage and went to jump on Randy's back, Haley didn't even think before she reacted, she shoved Layla off balance and blocked her advance.

"Oh this is rich, Haley!" Layla snarled. "You're so desperate now that you're siding with the man who put you in the hospital last year?"

"I'm choosing me. And since you've robbed me, Layla, some retribution is in order." Haley kept her eyes on the other woman. "You want to test that theory of whether or not you can take me alone?"

"You're still in love with her?" Dave rasped out, struggling against Randy's hold. "Aren't you? That is beyond sad, Orton."

"The only thing sad here, is the fact that you once had it all, Dave." Randy growled. "And you never deserved it. Then being the idiot you are, you threw it all away. This was the worst decision of your life and you will regret it. Now get the fuck out of my sight before I kick your ass and deny Mysterio the pleasure."

Randy all but tossed Dave to the side.

Dave grabbed at his throat and glared hotly at Randy. "This isn't over, Orton." He beckoned to Layla, who hurried over to his side.

"It never is Dave." Randy deadpanned.

With one last seething glare for them, both Dave and Layla retreated until they were out of sight.

Randy looked over at Haley, who looked back at him uncomfortably. "You okay?"

"You didn't have to do that." She said barely above a whisper.

"Maybe not." Randy agreed. "But I couldn't just walk by and let them bully you. He's a scumbag and he never deserved you, not ever."

"Neither do you." Haley said quietly.

"You think I don't know that?" Randy snapped. "I've done some pretty unforgivable shit, Haley. I understand that. Most of what I did was when I was trying to break you. I tried to tear you down, destroy you. And do you remember what you did?"

She gazed back at him silently.

"You spit in my face and fought back, Haley. Because that's who you are. You didn't let me break you. You're too strong for that." He was practically yelling at her. "So don't you let an asshole like Batista have that pleasure. You're better than this!"

"You don't get to judge me! Not about who I am or what I am feeling!" Haley's own voice rose. "You lost that right the moment you first attacked me! We hate each other!"

"Hate me all you want, Haley." Randy's voice calmed. "Despise me. But don't roll over and be weak. Spit in his face just like you did mine. Make him regret turning away from you with every fiber of his being. That's the only way to get through this."

He stalked past her to head back the way he came, but paused when he reached the end of the hall. "It's what you did to me. It's how you beat me. And every day for the rest of my life, I'll continue to regret turning on you the way I did. It's his turn now. Fight Haley, it's who you are."

* * *

Dave stared at his reflection in the mirror, eyes looking beyond the red mark across his throat from Randy's forearm. He could hear Layla still raging in the locker room, calling both Haley and Randy all sorts of names, but he couldn't muster up the energy to join her.

He hadn't seen this development coming.

For so long Randy Orton had been a soulless monster frequenting the Raw roster and plaguing the show with his madness. But when he had stepped up for Haley just now, his green eyes, which had been soulless for the past year, had been full of emotion. There had been anger, guilt and shining deep in the depths of his irises, love.

The love Randy felt for Haley, which everyone had believed was long gone, simmered there once again. It had brought him to her defense tonight ironically, since before the roles between Randy and Dave had been reversed.

But from the look in his eyes tonight, Randy Orton, the old Randy Orton, who had been Haley's best friend, and Dave's greatest rival for her heart, was back.

"Impossible." Dave murmured to himself.

He had been witness to Randy losing his humanity. It had happened the night of his engagement to Haley. Randy had been so wounded by the announcement he had gone into a rage and punted Dave in the skull, putting him on the shelf for months. And during those months, he had gone after Haley with a vengeance, doing everything in his power, through physical and mental warfare to ruin her.

But it looked like Randy's humanity was back, his soul restored and with it, his love for Haley.

Oh, Haley had no idea of course. The mistrust and fear was still very prominent in her eyes in Orton's presence and probably always would be. It would take an act of God, or pretty close to it, to erase the damage that had been done.

But, as much as he didn't like Randy Orton, Dave couldn't deny that the old Randy, who seemed to be back, had always looked out for Haley. And that brought him some comfort, knowing one more person was looking out for her while he was on his own mission.

"DAVE!" Layla cried. "Are you even listening to me?!"

He grunted. "Yes. Calm down, We can deal with it later. We've got matches to prepare for."

"I'm going to kick that skank's ass tonight." Layla swore. "Just you wait."

Dave splashed some water on his face and sighed. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

**A/N: So, Randy to the rescue. Kind of lol. Granted pissing Haley off afterwards probably wasn't his best course of action...or was it? :P **


	6. Wide Awake

**Chapter Five: Wide Awake**

"_Yeah, I was in the dark. I was falling hard, with an open heart. I'm wide awake. How did I read the stars so wrong? And now it's clear to me, that everything you see, ain't always what it seems. I was dreaming for so long." - Katy Perry_

Haley set her suitcase down in front of an empty locker in the Diva's room. Unzipping it, she began to pull out articles of clothing, sorting through various ring attires to find one suitable enough for a pay-per-view match. She bit down on a curse when she realized her hands, which held separate pairs of micro shorts in blue and silver, were shaking.

Once again, Randy Orton had rattled her.

Maybe it hadn't been done with his previous insanity and malicious intent. But he had been close enough to touch her, to hurt her as he had done in the past. Instead, he had defended her. And given her a stern talking to about she should handle the aftermath of the whole Layla/Batista affair.

It had also been the final nail in the coffin of her relationship with Dave. She had secretly hoped that she was in some strange sort of nightmare, one she would eventually wake up from and find her life was as it should have been. But his cruelty and look of disgust at the sight of her was truth enough that the love they shared was over. This heartache she was feeling wasn't a dream, it was reality.

And she wasn't sure exactly how to deal with it.

Door hinges creaking brought her out of her thoughts and had her looking up and forcing a smile at the small blonde Diva who entered the locker room, infectious smile on her stunningly pretty face.

"Haley!" Kelly Kelly set her suitcase down beside hers and threw her arms around Haley's shoulders, embracing her tightly. "I didn't get to see you Monday, but I'm so glad to you're here. I know this whole things sucks, but I'm glad to have to back on Raw with me. I've missed you."

The citrusy scent of Kelly's shampoo filled Haley's nose and she accepted the hug with a quiet sigh. When Candice had retired nearly eight months ago and before Haley had gone to SmackDown, Haley and Kelly had spent so much time together they had grown as close as sisters. Kelly often coming to Haley for advice and schooling in the ring and Haley having a close confidant and partner in matches had benefited both of them.

"I missed you too, Kel."

"Dave is such an asshole. I'm going to use some of these new moves Evan's taught me and kick his ass, then Layla's too." Kelly pulled back to frown. "Are you doing okay?"

"She'll be fine after we kick some ass tonight." Michelle McCool's Floridian drawl answered before Haley could and the number one contender for the WWE Women's Championship joined the other two. "With Melina and Eve Torres joining us, we can't lose."

"We're teaming with Eve?" Kelly blinked in surprise. "I thought Maria was on our team."

Michelle shook her head. "We had a disagreement on Friday, Long benched her. She needs to get a grip on her attitude or she's going to get more than just benched." The clench in her jaw dictated that was all she planned to say on the matter.

"Well, Eve's been getting better in the ring. That Chris Masters has been good for her." Kelly turned back to smile at Haley. "So, ready to kick Layla's ass?"

"I suppose so." Haley shrugged.

"You should wear the blue tonight." Kelly glanced down at the clothes Haley still held. "Think of it as spitting in SmackDown's face!"

"Hey!" Michelle laughed, taking small offense to Kelly's comment.

Haley didn't listen to Kelly's reply however. _You spit in my face and fought back, Haley. Because that's who you are. _Randy's words seemed to echo in her head. The problem was this time, she wasn't exactly sure how to fight back.

* * *

_U ok? Or do I need 2 come back and wrend some ass?_

Haley read the incoming text message and shook her head in disbelief before replying. _That sounded incredibly dirty. So now I'm definitely not ok._

Sitting on one of the black equipment crates in the hall, Haley had come out of the locker room to get some peace from the female chatter and get her thoughts in order before she had to go out to compete. She had been semi relaxing in the silence when her phone had gone off.

_Smartass. C? This is wat I get 4 caring._

Haley couldn't help but laugh out loud. _But your secret caring is part of your charm. Face it, you've got a heart of gold._

_Quit ruining my rep Woman! I went to TNA with an asshole backstory, mean 2 keep it that way!_

A reluctant smile curved her lips. _Yeah yeah Traitor. Miss ya._

_I might miss u 2, pain in the ass. Dave is a douche. i owe him an ass kicking. Call me l8er. _

_Ok. Thanks Ken. _She sent back to him before setting her phone down again. Ken Kennedy's move to TNA, WWE's main rival wrestling company, had been a combination of strategy since he could shine in the smaller company and the antagonism between him and Randy following her leave to SmackDown. He was already racking up World title reigns and just seemed overall happier since his departure from WWE.

Haley was happy for him. But his sarcasm and dry humor was something she really missed about having him around all the time. They might have gotten off on the wrong foot when they first met, but Haley wouldn't trade their friendship for anything in the world now. He was arguably one of her best friends.

"Want a cookie?"

Haley nearly bobbled off the crate, thoroughly startled when Shawn Michaels hopped up beside her, holding out a ziplock bag of what could only be homemade chocolate chip cookies.

"Rebecca," He said, referring to his wife. "Makes the best. You better take one now before Hunter finds out I've got them."

"Thanks Shawn." She hesitated for only a second, before reaching in and pulling out a cookie for herself. She took a bite and gave an mhmm of approval when it all but melted in her mouth. "You're right, she makes the best."

Shawn nodded, unsurprised by her answer. "Hunter's worried about you, you know."

Haley swallowed her mouthful of cookie and sighed. "Yes, I know."

"Hey, I get it." He placed the bag down between them. "Broken hearts can put you in a pretty dark place. At least you haven't indulged in drugs and tons of sex like I did."

"Is this the part where you tell me I need to find God?" She asked, eyeing him speculatively.

He barked out a laugh. "No Kid, you're not that desperate yet. I'm just saying, I know how crappy you're feeling, and though it's pretty lousy now, it's going to be a little less lousy next week, then the week after and then soon, you'll feel like your old self again. Just do me a favor, plaster on that old fake smile for Hunter once and awhile."

Haley gave him a dry look. "He'll see right through it."

He laughed again. "True. But hey, at least he'll know you're trying."

* * *

"We need to get a strategy going." Michelle leaned over the top rope to hiss at Haley. "Kelly is not looking good right now."

Though Haley wanted to deny it, no matter how far her young friend had come, Beth Phoenix was practically manhandling the smaller blonde, much to the delight of Maryse and Layla, the other two Divas left on their team. Eve and Melina had already been eliminated on Michelle's Team and it looked like Kelly would unfortunately be next out.

"I can take her." Haley said quietly. "You know I can."

"When your head is properly in the game, yeah you can kick her ass." Michelle pointed out. "Hales, you weren't exactly impressive this week."

Haley glared at her friend and teammate. "You want to do better?"

"I am the number one contender." Michelle reminded her.

Haley snorted. "By all means then, be my guest."

"I'm not trying to be a Bitch, Haley. I want us to win. I can't do that with you not mentally in this thing." Michelle snapped. "You rolled up Natalya. _Rolled up_."

Insulted, Haley looked away from her friend. "Got the job done, didn't I?"

"That's not the point. You don't roll up. You pinfall or submit. That's the kind of Diva you usually are and-"

"KELLY KELLY HAS BEEN ELIMINATED!"

"Spotlight's yours Champ." Haley gestured to the ring.

Michelle's expression was pinched. "Haley, I'm sorry."

"Whatever." Haley shrugged. "Just eliminate her." She fell silent as Michelle stepped through the ropes to face down the almighty Glamazon.

* * *

"HALEY! STOP!" Michelle called after her friend as Haley scaled down the steel steps of the Gorilla position and stormed into the corridor.

"No." Haley replied, tugging the elastic band out of her hair and letting it fall loose. "Go back out and celebrate your victory, Michelle. You certainly don't need me for that."

"I wasn't going to risk putting you in the ring. We needed to win." Michelle argued.

"Layla should have been mine, Michelle! And you know it!" Haley whirled on her. "She stole MY title! MY fiance! I was waiting to get my shot at her in the ring and you hogged the rest of the match. Not a single tag!"

"You couldn't afford to let her beat you again!" Michelle looked exasperated. "You perform like you did against Natalya, like you did this past Monday and you risked her beating you, again. Simply because she's craftier. You need to fight with your head in the game!"

"How dare you-"

"Haley."

The sound of her name had whatever she had been about to say die on her lips and turn to see Triple H had joined them.

"Come with me." Hunter held his hand out to her.

"Hunter, we need to-"

"No McCool. You two are done for tonight." The Game told the All American Girl. "Haley, come." He didn't wait for her hand this time, he simply gripped her bicep and led her away.

"Don't you have a title match to prepare for?" Haley struggled with her temper as they walked away from Michelle.

"You know you're more important to me than any title." He replied gently, opening the door of his locker room and nudging her inside.

"I'm fine." She told him, jerking her arm free. "Stop treating me like a piece of glass that's about to break."

"You're not fine. Screaming at Michelle, wrestling like Maria Kanellis and allowing Dave to treat you like garbage? That's not you. And you are not okay." He closed the door behind him.

"How do you know about what happened with Dave?"

"You think no one heart Layla bitching about that?" He snorted. "Though I can't say I'm thrilled about you being anywhere near Orton."

"He wasn't exactly my first choice of rescuers." Haley dragged her hands through her hair. "I am so frustrated right now! And you all need to stop treating me like a little kid."

"Then stop acting like one." Hunter said simply.

She stared at him. "Ouch."

"Haley, I'm telling you this for your own good. I know that everything in your life sucks right now. I get it, and no one is more pissed off for you than I am." He said with empathy shining in his eyes. "But if you fall apart and lose it, you'll be no better off than Orton was last year."

"You're comparing me to Randy!" She said incredulously.

"He let his pain make him crazy." Hunter reminded her. "You two are not all that different in some ways. I don't want to say that to hurt you. But you're stronger than he ever was and I don't want you to make his mistakes. You'll only wind up hurting the rest of us that you love and you'll hurt yourself too."

"What would you have me do?"

"I can't answer that question, Haley." His tone was grave. "I wish I could. But only you know where your strength comes from. Find it, use it, fight back. In the way that makes you so special. Come back to me, Haley, the real you."

She stared at Hunter for a long time, then the small thread of control snapped and the dam burst as tears poured down her face. She brought her hands up to sob into them. "I don't know what to do."

"I know, Punkin." He closed the distance between them and held her against him. "I know."

* * *

**A/N: I know, I know, no Randy or Dave in this chapter. But you got some good old HBK and some Triple H. So be happy with your DX please lol**


	7. Battle Scars

**Chapter Six: Battle Scars**

"_I wish I couldn't feel. I wished I couldn't love.. I wish that I could stop 'cause it hurts so much. Am I'm the only one trying to keep us together, when all the signs say I should forget it. I wish you weren't the best, the best I ever had. I wish that the good outweighed the bad. 'Cause it'll never be over. Until you tell me it's over." - Lupe Fiasco_

"You seem troubled today, Randy." Dr. Joy Kane set her notepad against her right thigh, which was crossed demurely over her left leg. Her favored blue ballpoint pen lightly drummed against top of the page, while her quiet hazel eyes assessed her patient with open curiosity.

Randy Orton had been referred to her nearly six months before, and their Doctor/Patient relationship had gotten off to a very rocky start since Randy resented the idea of therapy rather violently. He had broken several chairs in their first meeting, had cursed at her, raged at her and finally gave her no alternative but to have him sedated.

Slowly, very slowly, Randy had grown less angry and less guarded in their sessions. Joy had taken a special interest in I.E.D. when more and more people were being diagnosed with the disorder and she had found a balance of medication that currently seemed to help Randy work through it. She had also recommended Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which a very close colleague specialized in and Randy attended once a month and for the first three months he had been seeing her, she had enrolled him anger management courses.

These days, Randy seemed like a completely different person compared to the furious and overly aggressive man she had first started treating. Normally they talked about his week, how he was handling the pressures at work, how he was assuring his family and what he was working on to better himself. He usually started the sessions by discussing his career first, but he had been oddly quiet so far.

"It's been a confusing week." The Viper admitted with a one shouldered shrug. "I'm still trying to sort through it."

"Well perhaps I can help you." Joy suggested, gesturing for him to continue. "What has happened this week that troubles you?"

He looked directly at her, green eyes full of guilt, regret and anguish. "Haley is back on our tour schedule."

Joy shifted slightly at the mention of that particular name. Only in his fifth month of coming to see her, did Randy finally open up about what had triggered his I.E.D. or in his case, whom. He had confessed how much he loved her, how she had changed him, how he felt like he had the world at his fingertips if she would choose him.

But she hadn't chosen him. She had chosen someone else and the heartbreak had been Randy's undoing. Randy had barely gotten through talking about what he done to her in his I.E.D. driven rage, almost completely falling apart when he finished.

"Oh." She nodded in response. She would have to broach this subject carefully. Randy had come a long way from where he started, but he was still quite volatile. "Have you seen her? Spoken with her?"

"Seen her, spoken with her, defended her from her douchebag of an ex-fiance." Randy snorted. "Then yelled at her for letting him treat her like shit and tear her down."

"I wasn't aware her engagement had fallen through." Joy hastily scribbled down this development in her notes. "You must take some satisfaction from that?" She eyed him curiously.

"Not really." He frowned. "I honestly want to kill the bastard. He royally fucked her over. Cheated on her, cost her the title, got her fired from our other brand and apparently sold their house out from under her."

"So you're feeling protective?"

"I don't know what I'm feeling, besides a need to kick his ass and the urge to shake her out of this funk she's in. She wrestled like shit at Survivor Series." He grumbled. "And when he was tearing into her, she didn't stand up for herself, which is not her. She just kind of stood there and took it, looking ready to fall to pieces."

"That bothered you?"

"It pissed me the fuck off!" He snapped. "I did everything in my power to destroy that girl. Everything! And nothing worked, she literally spit in my face and fought back. She kicked my ass! So why does this undeserving douchebag get to break her? She's always been too good for him and she's too good to let him be her undoing."

"Hmm…"

"She has a right to be sad. They were supposed to get married this month." Randy continued, shaking his head in disgust. "But damn it, she should be so pissed that she should be making regret it, all of it. She should be kicking that bimbo Layla's ass all over the ring and spitting in his face for a change. Instead she just looked like this kicked puppy. I told her as much."

"And what did she say to you in reply?"

"She basically told me I had no right to judge her and tell her how to live her life. Which granted, I don't. Not after everything I've done. But I couldn't just stand there and watch her keep sinking into herself." He sighed. "I want to pull her out."

"So why don't you?"

Randy gaped at his therapist as though she were the one who had lost her mind. "Uh...cause she hates my guts."

"Have you apologized? Explained why you did what you did and what you're doing now to get back on track?"

"No. She won't hear it." Randy laughed at the absurdity of the thought. "I have no right to inject myself in her life. I burned that bridge a long time ago. The most I can do is go after Dave and kill him."

"That will only make you feel better, Randy." Joy told him sagely. "It won't help Haley. I think what will help her is if you give her an apology. She won't be expecting it. And even if she doesn't forgive you, she knows you regret what you've done. And that will matter to her."

"How am I supposed to do that? First, she wants nothing to do with me." He argued. "Secondly, her main protector, Triple H would kill me for being within ten feet of her."

"I'm sure you can figure it out, Randy." Joy reassured him, scribbling more notes down. "I think you owe it yourself and to her to at least apologize. You'll be surprised at how much better that will simply make you feel."

Randy shrugged in resignation. "Whatever you say, Doc."

* * *

"Haley, are you sure?"

"Yeah." Haley glanced up from the multifaceted, princess cut diamond solitaire ring with an open curved diamond band that rested in her palm, up into Kelly's nervous blue eyes.

"You can still keep it." Kelly added hastily. "I mean considering how he ended things, you should at least get to keep the engagement ring."

"For what?" Haley said sadly, her throat feeling unbearably thick all of a sudden. "We're not getting married anymore, so there's no point in me keeping this. He should have it back. An empty promise, that's all it is now. His empty promise."

"I'm sorry, Haley." Kelly slipped her arm around her friend's waist. "Want me to bring it to him?"

"No." Haley shook her head. "I'm going to ask a more neutral party to do me a favor. He owes me."

"Okay." Kelly looked confused, until Haley pulled away from her and crossed the hotel lobby to where Chris Jericho stood, checking out.

"Chris?" Haley stepped into his line of sight when he turned away from the front desk.

An annoyed expression at the interruption crossed Haley's former friend's face. "Haley." He said in her name in a slightly snide voice. "What do you want?"

"A favor." She said simply, summoning her resolve to keep from crying...again.

"Since when do we do each other favors?" Chris sneered. "That ended a long time ago."

"Because you owe me this much, Chris." Haley said quietly. "Think of it as making up for throwing me on a bunch of broken glass."

A small grimace pinched the first Undisputed Champion's face at her comment. "What's the favor?"

Haley held out her engagement ring and saw the surprise flicker in Jericho's eyes. "Will you give this to Dave for me when you get back on the SmackDown tour. I don't want it, but I don't want to go anywhere near him right now."

Chris reluctantly took the ring from her fingertips. "I can't say as I blame you." He dropped his snide pretense and a flash of her old friend appeared with his sympathetic smile. "This sucks, Mariano."

"Yeah." She nodded shakily, retracting her hand. "It does. If you could just give that to him I'd be really grateful."

"Don't worry about it." Chris waved it off, recognizing her pain. "I'll see that he gets it."

"Thanks." She took a step back. "See you around, Chris." She spun on her heel and headed back to Kelly as fast as he dignity would allow her.

"Dave's a fucking assclown." Chris tucked the ring safely in his pocket. "A fucking stupid monkey of an assclown."

Kelly immediately pulled Haley into her side and led her to the elevators. "You okay?"

Eyes wet with tears, Haley took a shuddering breath. "I'm not going to lose it here."

"We'll get you to your hotel room, Sweetie." Kelly promised. "Then you can let it all out, for as long as you need to."

* * *

"You better not be oogling my future wife, Morrison." Evan Bourne jokingly warned his friend as they returned to the hotel from the gym. They had just caught of glimpse of Kelly and Haley disappearing inside the elevator, the latter looking a little worse for wear.

"I'm not checking out, Kelly." John Morrison chuckled lightly at Evan's comment, but there was concern on his handsome face. "I was looking at Haley. She's so sad."

"Well yeah. Dave the douche crushed her." Evan glowered at the mere thought of SmackDown's Animal. "Kelly's worried sick about her. Hell, even I want to kick Dave's ass, though I understand there's a pretty long line."

"I'm not even thinking about Dave." John admitted with a shrug. "She was so positive before. I wish there was a way to make her smile again."

Evan eyed his friend in surprise. "You hot for her or something?"

"Yeah? So? She's attractive." John replied a tad defensively. "I mean, I know she's nowhere near ready to think about dating again. But, I still want to help her somehow."

"You could start by being her friend." Evan suggested. "I think she could use plenty of those right now. Then maybe when she's ready, you could see what happens."

"You might have to help initiate that." John laughed. "We've never really talked before and I don't want to come off as some creepy guy trying to be the rebound, you know?"

"I gotcha Man," Evan grinned. "Lucky for you, I have an in, since my girlfriend is one of her best friends. We'll get you two talking. But you have make me one promise?"

"What's that?" John looked at Evan curiously.

"Don't push her into something more, Man. Let it happen when she's ready. She really loved Dave, and she's really broken up about this whole thing." Evan reminded him. "It might take several months, or even a year before she's ready."

"I can be patient." John promised. "I don't want to hurt her any more than she has been."

"Then we're cool." Evan replied.

* * *

"Yours and Haley's break up made the cover of Star magazine!" Layla screeched in horror. "What the fuck?!"

Dave's fingers clenched around the handle of his fork as he continued to shovel more scrambled eggs into his mouth. "Haley and I were planning a high profile wedding." He reminded her after swallowing. "We were having that famous wedding planner, David Tutera set up the whole thing."

"You were having David Tutera plan your wedding?!" Layla gaped at him. "Holy Shit! Dave!"

"What?" He eyed in her annoyance. "At the time, Haley wanted a wedding planner and I wanted what she wanted. So I let her hire whoever she wanted."

"Dave! David Tutera is very selective about his celebrity clients!" Layla bemoaned. "And he always goes by the Bride first, so he must have really like Haley!"

"Who gives a crap if he liked her or not?" Dave was completely confused now. "The wedding is off. No more David Tutera."

"Well Haley is going to get a mammoth support of sympathy now." The current Women's Champion sounded completely disgusted. "She'll get title shots and everything just because of it."

"She's wrestling like shit." The Animal shook his head. "No one in their right mind is going to give her a title shot right now. No matter how much sympathy she's getting. You won, Layla. Calm down and ignore the press."

"We're supposed to crush her Dave." Layla half snarled.

"I took away her title, her home and her dream wedding." Dave turned back to his plate. "I'd say she's well and truly crushed now. Let it go, Layla. You're giving me a damn headache."

"Fine!"

* * *

**A/N: So, Randy's therapist is pushing him to apologize to Haley. Haley did the heartbreaking thing by letting go of her beautiful engagement ring. John Morrison is showing some small interest in our heroine, which we'll dive into more later. Don't freak out Randy fans. Haley is going to need an acceptable rebound guy before she can sort her shit out with Randy. There's a lot to be worked through there before they can even think about romance, so give Morrison his shot. And of course, Layla's being an annoying twit and Dave will probably go more batshit crazy than he already is :P**


	8. Apologize

**Chapter Seven: Apologize**

"_I'd take another chance, take a fall, take a shot for you. I need you like a heart needs a beat, but that's nothing new. I loved you with a fire red, now it's turning blue.." - One Republic_

"So?" Kelly emerged from the dressing room in black micro shorts with a black and silver cowgirl styled belt, and a black and silver trimmed crop top. She placed her hands on her hips, looking proud of her ensemble. "2010 is so going to be my year!" She said confidently.

"It's cute, Kel." Michelle assured her, already dressed in her own ring attire which consisted of green shorts and a matching top with silver cross designs on it. "I like it better than the chaps."

"The chaps were getting hard to move around in, especially since I'm trying to do some basic high flying maneuvers. My promos are going to look so awesome." The young blonde said excitedly.

All the WWE Superstars and Divas were currently gathered at a large studio in Los Angeles to shoot their new promos for 2010. Many of them would be displaying new ring attire to enforce their improvement and change from the previous year. Kelly had jumped on that particular bandwagon enthusiastically, whereas Michelle had simply gone from wrestling tights to shorts.

"What about you, Haley?" Kelly turned to her friend, who was still sitting in the director's chair getting her hair styled, wearing yoga pants and a Rock hoodie. "Did you change your attire for 2010?"

"Yes." Haley resisted nodding, not wanting the curling iron Marcie, the stylist was using, to burn her scalp. "I had planned on many changes for 2010, so I thought my attire should change a little too."

"Well I can't wait to see it." Kelly shared an uncomfortable look with Michelle. "Unless it has something to do with Dave, then I say we burn it."

Haley chuckled half heartedly. "There's no Animal logo on it."

"I'm sure you'll look great, Hales, you always do." Michelle gave her a hesitant smile, hoping to melt some of the frost between them.

"I look slammin'!" The dressing room door opened with a flourished and Layla strutted out practically preening in her updated ring attire.

Layla's new ring wear consisted of glittery purple micro shorts with a white band around the waist and a matching bra top, which had two white bands criss-crossing over the top of her midsection and crossing again at the base of her lower back.

With the exception of the coloring, and the diamond shaped keyhole in the fabric between her breasts, it was nearly identical to the attire Haley had designed for herself.

And from the catty look on Layla's face, the other woman knew it too and had done it purposely to stomp on her, yet again. There was only one way she could have known about Haley's new design and Haley mentally cursed Dave for stabbing her in the back yet again.

"There is really no low you won't stoop to, will you Layla?" Haley asked her quietly, voice devoid of emotion. "You stole my title, my man and my spot on SmackDown. Now you're going to steal my ring wear too?"

"What?" Michelle and Kelly both whipped their heads back to Haley in shock.

"That's your design!" Kelly exclaimed looking livid. "YOU BITCH!" She directed at Layla.

"It's not like you had a patent on it Haley." Layla shrugged off Kelly's insult without a care. "I improved it firstly and it looks better on me. Just the way, Dave does."

"Layla," A new voice said coldly. "Just stop talking already. No one in this room likes you. No one in this room respects you. And anything you have to say is a waste of time. Why don't you find some other superstar to go blow?"

Layla's eyes narrowed in fury. "Oh that's rich coming from you, Torres. Didn't you try to do the same thing I did, except you failed epically at it. Real Talk!"

"There's a difference between you and me, Layla." Eve Torres folded her arms over her chest. "I was new to the company, scared and desperate to be able to keep my job and yeah, I wanted Dave. Back then, who wouldn't?"

"But here's the thing." Eve continued. "Dave chose Haley and it gave me the chance to grow the fuck up. My career is taking off on it's own merit, not because of who I'm sleeping with. I didn't have to steal anyone's man to do it. And I found real love with a man who actually cares about me. I found confidence. Without Dave, you're just an insecure, pathetic mess whose job would probably on the chopping block come spring when they start cleaning out the roster."

"Fuck you!" Layla's eyes blazed.

"No thanks. I know where you've been." Eve tossed back. "And I don't care to contract an STD thank you very much."

Kelly snorted out a giggle and Michelle cracked an amused grin.

"I'd go annoy someone else, Layla." Beth Phoenix spoke up from her spot across the room. "Eve's right, no one here likes or respects you anymore."

"You're all just jealous!" Layla trilled. "Because I have the Women's Championship! I have the best ring attire. And I have Dave!"

"Congratafuckinglations." Michelle retorted. "Nobody gives a damn!"

Layla let out a frustrated screech and took off out of the room, muttering something about finding Dave, knowing he'll appreciate her.

"Thanks Girls." Haley said, shooting Kelly, Michelle and Beth a grateful smile before turning back to Eve. "You didn't have to defend me."

"Please." The Latina offered a small smile. "I'm lucky you just didn't kick my ass more than you could have back then. I haven't had the chance to apologize for that."

"It's water under the bridge now and neither of us has Dave." Haley shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah, but we're kind of on the same team now and I want to at least try and lose the bad blood between us." Eve pointed out. "Haley, what I said to Layla was true. I was terrified that I wouldn't make it six months when I first got signed to the company. I've wanted to be a Diva for so long I was desperate to get popular by any means necessary. I'd heard getting a main eventer for a Superstar was a quick and easy way to do it. And when Dave was still on SmackDown, he was kind to me, so I set my sights on him and I got carried away with the whole thing."

"At least you picked Dave." Beth commented. "My claim to dating fame is Santino Marella." She shuddered. "I don't even know what I was thinking."

That got a chorus of laughs from all of them.

"So basically," Eve said around a giggle. "I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am for all the pain I caused you, between losing Dave, losing Randy and being injured."

"She lost Randy because she chose Dave." Michelle reminded her. "Not because of you, Eve."

"But I was the starting point. Randy was nearly as desperate as I was and because he helped in my charade, he and Haley stopped being friends." Eve sighed. "I still feel really bad about that. I keep thinking that if you two had stayed friends maybe he wouldn't have gone so psycho last year."

"What happened with Randy is no one's fault but his and mine." Haley assured Eve with a serious look. "Our problems were there before you entered the picture, Eve. But for what it's worth, thank you for the apology. I'm going to do my best to move past it."

Eve grinned. "Thanks Haley."

"So what are we going to do about your promos?" Kelly asked, looking worried. "She stole your ring gear!"

Haley flashed her first almost real smile. "I always have a backup plan when it comes to ring gear."

* * *

"Whoa, what's the rush, _Pal_?" With a firm grip on the Animal's shoulder, Triple H half pushed, half dragged Dave into one of the side hallways, giving them a little privacy. "It's not like you to walk on by and not say hey to your _best man_. Well, former best man now."

"If you're here to give me shit about breaking up with Haley, save your breath." Dave glared at his former teammate and mentor. "I don't regret my decision."

"Really?" Hunter looked unconvinced. "You don't even feel the littlest guilty that Haley's not eating right, not sleeping right, wrestling like brand new Diva Search contestant and stressing out about cancelling your wedding. Which you left in her hands entirely, you charming bastard."

"No." Dave swallowed, trying not to flinch at Hunter's information.

"That's bullshit, Dave." Hunter snapped. "I know you better than you know yourself. I not only helped mold you, I became your best friend. And no one knows better than me how much you love that girl. You went back on your own oath never to marry again just to put a ring on her finger. So the way I look at it, there's two possibilities. You're either a really good liar and this douchebag is the real you, or you're protecting her from something. And knowing how your moral compass spins, I'm going to go with the latter."

"This is the real me." Dave said out loud, but the flash of panic in his eyes said differently.

"Stop fucking lying to me, Dave!" Hunter was quickly losing patience. "What the fuck are you protecting her from that's so important that you have to break her heart and dreams to do it?"

Dave shoved Hunter away from him. "None of this matters. Haley and I are done. We're on different paths now and that's not going to change. Leave me the fuck alone, Hunter." He said starting back out to return to men's changing area.

"I never thought I'd see the day where Dave 'The Animal' Batista became a coward!" Hunter called after him.

"Then I guess you should be glad Haley's rid of me then." Dave snapped back before leaving Hunter fuming in the hall behind him.

* * *

When Haley came out of the women's changing area, she wore Candice Michelle's pink and white trimmed capris, with the holes cut out of the sides and her own white and pink trimmed crop top with the crossover under her bust and again at the base of her spine. She borrowed a pair of Kelly's white wrestling boots and wore her hair in loose curls over her shoulders. It wasn't how she had planned her attire originally, but it was different enough from Layla's now that it worked for her.

As she head towards the backdrop area designed for the Divas, she nearly cursed out loud when she spotted Randy Orton, oiled up and in his own gear. She was pretty sure she grimaced when he caught sight of her and slowed his pace.

The right corner of his mouth lifted in half of a smile. "You look great. Very you...and shades of Candice."

"They're her pants." She blinked at him in surprise. "Layla copied my new design so I had to improvise."

Randy stared at her for a moment before groaning in disgust. "What a bitch."

Haley didn't respond. She merely shifted uncomfortably, trying to figure out the best way around him.

Randy's expression changed. "Haley, I need to say something. I just need to get this out, just this once and you need to hear it. You don't need to say anything back, you don't even have to react to it."

She inclined her head, unable to help being curious. "Okay?"

"Last year, I lost my way, Haley. I let my pain and rage turn me into something I'm not proud of. And I hurt you. Nothing excuses what I've done to you. I terrorized you. I brutalized you. And I did everything I could think of to try and break you." Self-disgust flickered through his eyes.

"You came pretty close." Haley admitted quietly. "If Hunter hadn't been there…"

"I'm glad he was, even knowing that meant a brutal ass kicking for me. I deserved it." Randy cut her off. "I will never be able to repent enough for what I've done. I just want you to know how much I regret being that person, the one who hurt you like that. I hate myself for it. And I don't expect forgiveness because I don't deserve it. But I am so sorry, Haley. For everything, all of it."

"You're sorry?"

"You don't have to believe me." He smiled with resignation. "I'm not I would if the roles were reversed. But you deserve to hear it, even if you don't believe I mean it. I can't take back what I've done. I can't change it. This is the only thing I can do."

"I don't know what to say." She spoke softly, the expression of her could only be described as dumbstruck.

"You don't have to say anything." He assured her with a half-hearted shrug. "I needed to say it and you deserved to hear it. What you do with it is up to you from here on out."

He straightened up and began to walk past her, but paused right when he reached her. "For what it's worth, and it might not be much, I promise, I will never hurt you like that ever again. You can still hate me if you want, but you don't have to fear."

Leaving those final words between them, Randy continued on his way back to the men's changing area to wash off the baby oil and put on his casual close.

Haley was left completely flabberghasted in his wake.

* * *

**A/N: So this was a pretty big step for Randy. Apologies aren't easy, but this changes their relationship enough to start at least in the right direction, even though they still have a long way to go. **

**Also, if you think Hunter's going to let Dave off the hook that easy, you guys don't know Triple H at all. haha**


	9. One Day

**Chapter Eight: One Day**

"_If I could change the currents of our lives, make the river flow when it's run dry, to be a prodigal of Father time, then I'd see you tonight. If I could find the years have went away, destroying all the cruelty of fate. I must believe that love will find a way tonight. Lonely, finds me. But one day, you will come. And I'll wait for love's sake." - Trading Yesterday_

He apologized.

Though Taylor Swift was trying to convince someone they belonged with her over the radio, and Kelly was keeping up an endless stream of chatter throughout the drive, Haley couldn't pay attention to any of it.

"So I told Evan that I wanted to wait you know? I mean, my relationship with Phil ended in a disaster, and it would have been so much worse had we been living together." Kelly either chose to ignore the fact that her friend and travelmate wasn't listening to her, or she was completely oblivious to it. "I don't want to rush what we have, because it's going to great right now, you know? We have all the time in the world to move in together and whatnot."

"Hmm…" Haley murmured a non-committal response that seemed to satisfy her friend enough to continue explaining her only relationship woe.

She could have been talking about a hostile alien takeover for all Haley knew.

Randy Orton had apologized, for everything. And it had been weighing heavily on Haley's thoughts for the past week. So much so that she hadn't been able to concentrate on much else.

Even before Randy had gone off the rails, apologies had been something he avoided at all costs. Admitting he had been wrong was something he struggled with and therefore, he usually refused to acknowledge his errors in judgment. Haley could count on one hand the amount of times she had ever heard the word sorry come out of his mouth. And usually when he did say it, he always found a way to manipulate it into not being entirely his fault.

This last time, however, was more serious than any other apology she had ever heard him utter. He had taken full responsibility for his actions, shown actual remorse for what he had done, and had been completely sincere.

It flabberghasted her because it was so entirely out of character, even for the old Randy who had once been her best friend.

"So anyway," Kelly braked at the red light and used the rearview mirror for a quick hair check. "We sorted it all out and are good again. That's what I love about Evan, we can always talk everything out and not worry about it turning into some big nasty fight like it always did with Phil."

"Randy Orton apologized to me." No one was more surprised than Haley when the words left her mouth.

"WHAT?!" Kelly made a strangled gasp of surprise before jamming the mute button on the rental car's stereo system. "Shut the front door! When?"

"Last week." Haley admitted, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "At the studio when we were all there to shoot the January promos."

"And you're just telling me this now?" Kelly gaped at her friend incredulously. "Haley!"

"I needed to process it." Haley's voice turned a bit defensive. "It took me by surprise okay? It's not like Randy is the type of guy who says I'm sorry all the time. I don't even know why it matters. It doesn't change anything. It doesn't make what he did to me okay?"

Knowing this particular subject was one to approach with caution, Kelly gently asked, "Did he say it did?"

"No. That's the thing, he told me I didn't owe him anything. I didn't have to forgive him, or even believe him. He just wanted to me to hear it, so I'd know he at least said the actual apology." Haley shook her head.

"That sounds pretty grown up of him actually." Kelly commented, turning her eyes back to the road. Haley would need to spew this out on her own, no matter how much she wanted to probe for details.

"It doesn't matter!" Haley repeated, her expression twisting into a frown. "What he did was beyond redemption. No amount of apologies is going to change the fact that he put me in the hospital. There's no excuses, none. He's a monster and I hate him."

While some might mistake her blonde hair and bubbly personality for stupidity, Kelly was no fool. She had seen the way Haley and Randy were before it had all gone to shit. Randy had adored her friend, practically worshipped the ground she walked on. And Haley had seen beyond the arrogance, beyond the playboy, to the man beneath the surface, the one worth saving.

"No Haley," Kelly her a very grave look. "You don't. You and I both know there was once a good man underneath that cold viper shell he wears. A man you loved very much. And the reason this apology is sticking with you, is because maybe, just maybe, there's a chance that man is coming back."

"Even if it that were true." Haley's eyes filmed over with tears. "It doesn't change what he did."

"No." Kelly agreed. "Not now it doesn't. But maybe one day, it will."

* * *

John Morrison was feeling a bit like a stalker as he casually loitered through the hallways of the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. A guy who looked like he did, didn't normally need to resort to these kind of tactics in order to get a girl's attention. But Haley Mariano wasn't just any girl and he couldn't win her over the way he had won over many other flames in the past.

For starters, Haley was far from ready to have a new man in her life. And, he had already promised his good friend Evan Bourne he wouldn't try to pressure her into a relationship. He would have to be her friend first and then see if she'd consider him as something more when she was over Dave Batista.

He couldn't say exactly when his interest in her began. He hadn't given her much of a passing thought when she first debuted. Sure, she was pretty, but then so were all the other Divas. He was surprised when she seemed to have Randy Orton of all people wrapped around her finger, then Dave Batista shortly after him. Triple H had basically adopted her, but even then he hadn't really considered her.

He supposed it started back around the Royal Rumble of this past year. She had gone through hell. Randy Orton had physically and mentally done everything he could think of to break her. And though she had cracked a couple times, she hadn't broken. She had repaired herself and fought back, when lesser men would have broken in her place.

That kind of fighting spirit had caught his attention. And when he had taken a closer look, he could see that she was beautiful, not in an obvious way like Kelly Kelly perhaps, but she had this subtle wholesome, girl next door beauty about her. She also seemed intelligent, and though Triple H had trained her, he could see she had natural talent in the ring, and she had a big heart, as proven by the loyal people who surrounded her.

What guy wouldn't be interested in a girl like that?

"Idiots like Dave Batista." John muttered to himself. "How he passed her up for Layla, I'll never know."

"You talking to yourself?" Evan Bourne appeared beside his friend cellphone in hand and a knowing grin on his face. "Kel, just texted me, they're here."

"Jesus! You're like the pop-up book from hell or something." John jumped a little startled at his sudden appearance. "It's bad enough I'm doing this girly wait around thing, why don't you just completely emasculate me while you're at it?"

Evan chuckled. "Come on now, a girl like Haley's worth a little emasculation, don't you think?"

"Let's just do this." John didn't bother giving him an answer. "And don't get all gooey with your girl and make us uncomfortable."

"You're nervous." Now Evan fully laughed. "John Morrison, so-called Shaman of Sexay is nervous."

"Shut it you little twerp."

"Evan!" The door leading into the arena from the parking lot opened and Kelly stepped inside first, hauling her two cases of luggage. There was a bright smile on her face as her eyes fell on her boyfriend.

"Hey Baby." Evan paid John no more attention and crossed to her. "Let me help you with all that? You bring a lot of shoes again?"

"I wasn't sure if I was wrestling or not tonight." Kelly giggled. "Needed to make sure I have an appearance worthy outfit too!"

The door opened again and this time it was Haley who stepped inside, pulling only one case with her. A soft indulgent smile crossed her face as she spotted Evan and Kelly in front of her, then she looked beyond them and saw John.

He swallowed nervously and stepped forward. "Hey, want a hand with that?" He gestured to her suitcase.

Her eyes widened, looking startled. "Oh, um...sure I guess." She delicately passed him the handle. "Thanks."

"No problem." He tugged her suitcase to his side and smiled at her. "Welcome back to Raw, by the way."

"Thanks." She shrugged. "Kind of good to be back. Sorry you lost at Survivor Series."

"There's always the next Pay-per-view." He glanced over at Evan and Kelly. "Want to leave the two lovebirds in peace?"

This time she laughed. "Sure. I need to get my hands on a match card I guess anyway."

"Oh um," He felt his face heat just slightly. "Actually, you have a match tonight. Fifth match on the card. With me."

She blinked in surprise. "With you?"

"Maryse and Miz." He explained hastily. "I guess they thought you'd make a good opponent for her."

"And you're not worried I'm going to suck out there?" She eyed him cautiously as they walked around Evan and Kelly to head towards the locker rooms.

"No." He shook his head. "I can handle Miz and I've seen you wrestle, so I know you can handle Maryse. I also know you've been having a rough go of it lately, so if you're not at one hundred percent, well, I can't fault you for it."

"Thanks John." She said softly. "I'll try to keep my head firmly in the match tonight."

He grinned down at her. "You don't have anything to prove to me, Haley."

* * *

Randy Orton paused upon seeing Haley walking with John Morrison of all people, when he stepped out of his locker room. John was grinning at her in a moony sort of way and Haley was looking back up at him with a cautious, but friendly enough expression on his face.

He had known better than to expect anything from his apology last week. But she couldn't be thinking o moving on so quickly, could she? And with Morrison?

"Man, she wastes little time doesn't she?" Cody commented sourly when he spotted what Randy was looking at. "There's no shortage of men for Haley Mariano. They had names for women like that."

"Don't say it." Randy snapped warningly. "I'm not in the mood to hear that kind of shit."

"Morrison's a flash in the pan anyway." Ted Dibiase added, looking bored. "Maybe she'll tank his career the same way she's tanking her own."

"She sucks right now." Cody agreed with his partner. "And I'm guessing now in more ways than one!"

While Ted chuckled at Cody's crude joke, Randy's hands curled into white knuckled fists and he briefly imagined plowing them into his so-called friend's face, before he soothed out the anger. Getting into a fight would solve nothing, and would only put rift in their Legacy stable, which was the last thing he needed.

"We need to go." Randy ordered gruffly. "We're opening the show and we needed to nip Kofi Kingston's rise right in the bud."

"Why don't we just put him on the shelf and get it over with?" Cody asked. "I mean, it got Batista out of our back in the Spring."

"Because I can beat Kofi on merit." Randy glared at his protege. "Now quit your bitching and get moving!"

"Wow." Cody whistled lowly to Ted. "Someone's in a mood. Must be his time of the month or something."

Ted frowned, looking back to where Haley had stopped and was talking to John Morrison outside the Diva's locker room. Then he glanced back at Randy departing back and sighed.

Great, Legacy was finally heading in the right direction and it looked like drama with Haley was going to throw another wrench in their plans. Why couldn't Randy just let go of that girl already? They needed to focus on the TLC pay-per-view that was coming up, not get involved in that mess all over again.

Ted wasn't going to let Haley get to Randy this time. Nope, not again. He'd find a way to keep them as separate as possible, one way or another. And one day, Randy was going to forget that girl ever existed.

**A/N: Well it seems Randy's apology has had an effect after all. It's got Haley all baffled and confused. Meanwhile, John Morrison's beginning to make his move. And Ted's thoughts are going to pull the thread that begins to unravel Legacy, lol the dummy. **


	10. Just Keep Breathing

**Chapter Nine: Just Keep Breathing**

"_When heaven seems so far away, and dreams are just a memory. Without the dark the light won't show, remember that you're not alone. When you watch the world just turn away, and break the promises it made. When love is all too hard to hold, just take a breath and let it go." - We the Kings_

"Well Punkin," Hunter glanced up when Haley entered his locker room, already out of her ring gear and back in her now daily attire of yoga pants and an oversized hoodie. "That wasn't half bad."

Haley set her suitcase down by the door and shot him a dry look. "Thanks Hunter, that was all kinds of encouraging."

"I've seen you wrestle better." He pointed out. "I trained you to wrestle better. But hey, it was a big improvement from Survivor Series. You and Morrison make a semi-decent team."

"We had a common enemy." She shrugged and dropped down on the couch beside him. "That's all. It was most likely a one time thing, so there's no team."

"Do you want there to be?" He looked at her curiously now, trying to see if he had actually heard or simply imagined the disappointment in her voice.

"No." She shook her head. "I don't know. It's all relative at this point. I go out there and do my job."

"Haley," Triple H sighed. "This is not simply a job and you know it. WWE is a way of life. One you used to fully embrace."

"Yeah," She nodded in agreement. "Before it stabbed me in the back multiple times in many different ways."

"That's the business, Kid." He muted the monitor and gave her his undivided attention. "Relationships form, they blossom and sometimes they burn. People turn on each other over gold, pride, even love. You just have to remember to stay true to yourself through it all. And the Haley I know, the one I went through a war with, she's no quitter."

"I wasn't the one who quit, Dave did."

"Yeah, and he's a spineless jackass for it." Hunter snorted. "But that doesn't mean you let it rule you, let it define you. Haley Mariano doesn't need a man to make it in this business. She was doing that just fine on her own."

"I needed you." She reminded him with a small smile. "Still do."

"Nah." He chuckled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her against him in a side hug. "You just think you do. And while I take pride in everything you've accomplished, you've done it all on your own. I simply gave advice and some guidance here and there. And I have no doubt that you're going to bounce back from this and do even more things to be proud of."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know you. And as long as you just keep breathing, you'll find your way back to yourself."

* * *

Randy tossed his gym bag carelessly into the backseat of the his rental car before opening the driver's door and dropping heavily into the seat. Instead of starting the car, he let his head fall back against the seat and closed his eyes, sighing.

It had been a long night and he wasn't just referring to his increasingly annoying feud with Kofi Kingston. And he was quite ready to bury that already. Cody had been borderline whiny tonight, having been on the receiving end of Trouble in Paradise before Randy had hit a RKO on Kofi. And Ted had been uncharacteristically quiet, as though he were planning something he didn't feel like sharing with the rest the of the stable.

"Legacy is becoming more trouble than it's worth." Randy muttered to himself, before sitting up and starting the car. "If those two don't shape up, I'm going to disband the whole fucking thing."

He might be flanked by his two teammates at every turn, but damned if he didn't feel more alone than he had in the longest time.

As he pulled out of the parking garage, Randy decided he'd spent enough time with his own thoughts for company and hit the power button for the car stereo system. The first station that came through the speakers was country and though he wasn't a country music fan himself, he found himself listening and relaxing to the sound of Tim McGraw.

_I never had no one that I could count on_

_I've been let down so many times_

_I was tired of hurtin', so tired of searchin'_

'_Til you walked into my life_

_It was a feeling I'd never known_

_And for the first time, I didn't feel alone_

Randy's breath hissed out through his teeth as the lyrics struck a chord in him and Haley's face filled his mind. He had been lonely back then too, he just hadn't known it. He had filled his nights with many different women, and his days plotting his rise to the top of the WWE food chain.

Then she joined the main roster. He'd never had a best friend before, not until her. He'd had a well earned reputation as a player, and as a jackass, for he had a formidable temper and an ego the size of Texas. And when she had first looked at him, she had seen past all that and smiled.

God, he missed her. He missed the way she'd laugh at whatever dry. sarcastic remark he'd toss out; the way she'd give him that resigned sort of look when he'd do something she didn't approve of, like she was disappointed because he knew he could be better. And for her, he always tried to be. She had never hesitated to compliment something good he had done and it was the best feeling in the world when she told him she was proud of him.

And being the nimrod that he was, he had fucked it all up royally. He couldn't blame it all on his IED, their problems had begun before his illness had made a monster out of him. He had been so in love with her, so desperate to have her, that he believed the only way to have her was to sabotage her relationship with Dave.

If he had just been patient, which wasn't his strong suit, Dave would have done that all by himself. He had just driven her further into Dave and the result was the mess they were currently in.

He knew it was nigh impossible for her to ever love him now. He had ruined any shred of a chance for that. But perhaps now that she was just as lonely as he was, he could get try to get their friendship back on track. It would take time, and patience he was now willing to have, but it was possible it could be done.

And the only way he'd know for sure was to try.

* * *

Haley walked out to her rental car, tugging the handle of her suitcase behind her. She also juggled her purse and the car keys in her other hand. Kelly had opted to ride back to the hotel with Evan, so she was on her own for the evening, which suited her just fine since Haley hadn't been the best of company these days.

Too much brooding amongst all her friends who had reasons to be happy; Dwayne and Candice were expecting a child, and then their own wedding plans to follow, Hunter and Shawn were the Tag Team Champions, Michelle was number one contender for the Women's Championship and Kelly had Evan. And sure, she lived on John's property, but the acclaimed face of the WWE was finally moving forward with his life in a new relationship with Nikki Bella and Haley was not going to horn in on that, so she stayed respectfully in the poolhouse.

She really should make an attempt at house hunting.

"No friends tonight?" A coolly amused voice commented from just behind Haley. "I'm not used to seeing you so unguarded. Not for the past year anyway."

Haley whirled around, tensed for a confrontation, then took a step back at the sight of Ted Dibiase Jr. "I could say the same. Doesn't your girlfriend Cody accompany you everywhere?"

"You know, for a girl Legacy put the hospital eight months ago, you've still got a smart mouth on you." Ted's eyes narrowed into a glare.

"You didn't lay a hand on me that night, Ted." Haley corrected him with a slight jerk of her chin. "You and Cody just had front row seats, standing by like you always do. It was Randy Orton, who put me in the hospital. It's Randy Orton who does everything."

"Right, it was Randy Orton who beat you senseless and put you in the hospital." Ted smirked as though he found the whole thing entirely amusing. "So I can't help but be surprised by the fact that the two of you have become so chummy."

"What are you talking about?" She frowned in confusion. "I've had nothing to do with Randy Orton since I left for SmackDown."

"Not true." Ted tisked and shook his head. "And I never pegged you for a liar, Haley. You've been seen having conversations with him. Hell, didn't he even defend you against Dave? Talk about your irony there."

"How did you even know about that?" Now she was simply surprised. "And I wouldn't exactly call them conversations. We've bumped into each other a couple times and he chose to get in Dave's face that night, like he normally does since they can't stand each other. It has nothing to do with me. Randy and I are done, Ted. We've been done for a long time."

"Well make sure it stays that way." His expression hardened. "Legacy is finally moving forward, Haley and I'm not going to risk backtracking to run your ass off again. Stay away from Randy."

"Go to Hell, Ted." Haley glared back at him. "And take Randy with you for all I care. I'm perfectly happy if the lot of you just stayed away from me."

"Is there a problem here?" A new voice injected itself into the conversation and both Haley and Ted looked over to see John Morrison standing a couple yards away, eyeballing Ted suspiciously.

"Just giving Haley a fair warning, nothing that concerns you Morrison, move along." Ted dismissed him.

"I think I'll let Haley decide that, Jackass." John replied casually, though his frame now carried a line of tension. "Haley, everything okay?"

"Ted is being an ass, as usual." Haley informed him. "And he's being pointless about it. I'm done with this conversation."

"Then I guess it's you who should be moving along then, Dibiase." John's mouth curved into a smirk.

Ted's scowl carried a degree of nastiness, but he backed off. "Just remember what I said, Haley."

"Don't need to because it's stupid." Haley waved him off.

Only when Ted had turned his back and walked away, did Haley allow herself to relax. She shot John a grateful look. "Thanks."

"No problem. He's a bully and I'm not going to just stand by and let him be one." John shrugged nonchalantly. "You okay?"

"Yes." She assured him. "I just want to get back to the hotel and crash."

"Well, I'll let you get to it then." He smiled charmingly at her. "Goodnight Haley, I had fun teaming with you."

"Me too." She hesitantly returned his smile. "Thanks again John, goodnight."

* * *

"No Layla tonight?"

Dave Batista glanced down several bar stools and gave a dismissive frown to Chris Jericho, whom had asked the question. "Do you see her anywhere? No."

"You know drinking by yourself is a sign of becoming pathetic, Dave." Chris ignored the Animal's "Shut the fuck up and leave me alone" glare. "But then, you've been spiraling down in that direction for awhile now."

"Do you want me to Batista Bomb you through a table?" Dave growled. "Go bother someone else."

"No." Chris looked over his shoulder at his partner Big Show, who was smiling with fans and signing autographs. "Show's busy right now and you're just sitting there, looking like the world's biggest assclown."

"And you decided to what? Poke the bear?" Dave rolled his eyes and took another sip of his brandy and ginger ale. "Fuck off Chris, before I get mad."

"I'm not afraid of you, Dave." Chris retorted, signalling the bartender for a refill. "Never have been. The only good thing you had going for you was Haley, and you fucked that up so royally, you'll never come back from it."

"You screwed her over too, Jericho. So you're the last one who should be throwing stones." Dave snorted. "So at the risk of quoting you, shut the hell up."

"You see I would, Dave." Chris smirked. "But I didn't fuck up nearly as bad as you did. As a matter of fact, Haley approached me about a week ago, asking me to do a pretty big favor regarding you."

Dave glanced over at the former undisputed Champion sharply. "What favor could she possibly need from you that concerns me? You and I aren't friends and I doubt she asked you to kick my ass. She'd go to Hunter or Dwayne for that. She'd ask Cena before you."

"Oh I wish she had asked me that." Chris's blue eyes narrowed. "But I don't think she cares enough to ask anyone to kick your ass. She's too busy trying to put herself back together and stay far away from you. Which was why she asked me to return this to you."

Without any kind of ceremony, Chris reached into his pocket and slid the platinum engagement ring down the bar until it stopped beside Dave's wrist. "You're welcome." Satisfied that he had done the favor, Chris took his drink and went to join his partner amongst the couple WWE fans he was entertaining.

Dave set his glass down on the bar with a dull thunk and instead picked up the ring he had given Haley when he proposed to her nearly a year ago. His heart twisted and clenched viciously in his chest as he studied the small circle that had represented his promise to love her eternally. He had technically broken that promise, but he never imagined she would believe him so much that she would return the ring, not when it had so clearly been hers from the moment he saw it at Tiffany's.

He closed his fingers around the ring and held it tightly. He was distancing himself from Haley for her own good. And he deserved any backlash from her that came his way. But he hadn't been prepared for this, or for the pain that came with it.

The ring was still Haley's, just as his heart was secretly still hers as well.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long guys. I hit a small bump trying to get through it. Anyway, it's finished now and hopefully the next one will be easier to punch out. Enjoy!**


	11. It is What It is

**Chapter Ten: It is What It is**

"_Here it comes, ready or not, we've both found out, it's not all we thought that it would be. That it could be. If the time could turn us around, what once was lost, may be found, for you and me. Too long we've been denying. Now we're both tired of trying. We've hit a wall, and we can't get over it. Nothing to relive, it's water under the bridge. You said, I get it, I guess it is what it is." - Lifehouse_

"Cheat day!" John Cena announced cheerfully. There was a broad smile on the face of the WWE Champion as he walked into his kitchen balancing a flat cardboard box that smelled of tomato sauce, cheese and spices.

Haley lifted her eyebrows at him in amusement. "Pizza is your cheat day food of choice?"

"Well that and the chocolate cake from Lorelai's Bakery that's chilling in the fridge." John set the pizza box on the breakfast bar. "Oh, and beer."

"That's kind of a let down." She informed him with a sober glance. "I mean, the last cheat day I did with the Rock was 12 pancakes, 4 pizzas and 21 brownies."

John's eyes widened. "How did he not explode?"

"No idea. But you've seen him shirtless, so you know there isn't an ounce of fat on him." She shrugged. "But this works out better for me. What kind of pizza did you get?"

"Hawaiian." He grinned again, dimples flashing.

She smiled back at him. "You remembered my favorite?"

"Hey, you're not holed up in the pool house tonight. I figure you deserve a reward for that." He opened one of his cupboards to pull out two paper plates.

"If you're that worried, how come you haven't dragged me over to the main house more often?" She asked him, opening the refridgerator to pull out a beer for him and vitamin water for herself since she had never been much of a beer drinker.

"Because you're grieving the end of a relationship, Haley." He loaded a slice of pizza onto her plate and plopped two on his own. "I'm not going to hover over you like Hunter and Dwayne, when you need some time alone to work through it. I know you're hurting, but I'm not worried about you hurting yourself over this if I leave you alone."

"Thanks." She told him gratefully. "You saying that means a lot to me. I feel like you're understanding me better through all this than anyone else."

"Should have stayed with me when you had the chance. Saved yourself the heartache." He joked, wiggling his eyebrows playfully.

Haley snorted. "Not likely. You and I were never meant to be a be all, end all romance John. We were always meant to be as we are now, good friends. Besides, if I hadn't fallen for Dave over you, it would have been…" She trailed off, unwilling to finishing that train of thought.

But John knew exactly what she meant as he popped the top off his beer. "Orton."

She sighed heavily. "Yeah. I loved him too once."

"I know." John said gently. "Why do you think I hated him so much back then? He just got you, in a way I never could."

"Well that all changed pretty quickly." She began to shrug it off, then looked at him curiously. "Actually, while we're on the subject, does Randy seem different to you? Like I don't know, less psychotic?"

The WWE Champion looked thoughtful for a moment, before frowning. "Actually yeah, now that you mention it, after Kofi trashed his car a couple weeks ago, I was kind anticipating a trip to the hospital for him before Survivor Series. But Randy just kind of waited for the match."

"He apologized to me." Haley told him. "For everything that happened last year."

John's beer bottle hit the countertop with a clunk. "What?"

"I know, it surprised me too." She nodded in understanding at his baffled expression. "Even before all the bad stuff happened, Randy never apologized."

"Maybe he's sick, or on drugs." John speculated. "Or he's been possessed by aliens."

Haley tore off a piece of her crust and threw it at him, laughing when he caught it with his mouth. "Now you're making fun of me."

"You have a point, Randy doesn't apologize. But then again, he's never done anything as bad as what he did to you." He chewed and swallowed. "Maybe Orton's trying to make amends with himself. Maybe he's actually sorry. Who knows."

"I sure don't." Haley lifted her slice of pizza to her mouth for a bite.

"Well, if all else fails," John took a swig of his beer. "We can always circle back to my alien theory."

"John!"

* * *

Hunter barely glanced up when Dwayne took a seat beside him in the waiting area of the airport terminal. The Rock passed the Game one of the two steaming cups of coffee he carried and took a slow sip of his own.

"Thanks." Hunter blew on the top of his before taking a sip. "How's Candice doing?"

"She's embracing pregnancy better than Dani did." Dwayne chuckled. "She's planning photoshoots to document it and everything. Doesn't care that her jeans don't fit or her ankles are swollen. She's too focusing on redecorating the guest room into a nursery and buying baby things. It warms me to see her so excited."

"I'm happy for you, both of you." Hunter smiled at that. "Simone excited about having a younger sibling."

"Thrilled." Dwayne's charismatic grin flashed. "She's just as obsessed with buying baby things as Candice is. The two of them raided Babies 'R' Us together the other day."

"That's good." Hunter nodded. "I hate to put a damper on all that."

"Haley." Dwayne guessed, already one hundred percent sure of Triple H's answer.

"I'm worried about her. She's wrestling like shit Dwayne. Her Rookie debut was better than her performance at Survivor Series. I'm scared she's losing her heart for this business. It galls me that Dave could take that away from her." Hunter glowered as he mentioned his former friend.

"It's not just Dave. After everything that happened last year with Randy, then Candice retiring and Kennedy defecting to TNA, it's a lot of her old routine being switched around. Add that on top of the heartache she's feeling, we can't expect her to be up to snuff, Helmsley." Dwayne sighed. "She'll bounce back, she always does."

"How many times can we expect her to bounce though, Dwayne?" Hunter argued. "She's been through hell, literally. That war we went through last year, it almost broke her, or for Dave to do this, so soon after? I'm trying to be positive here and I keep telling her it's going to get better. But I'd be lying if I don't say that I'm worried it won't. She didn't even want to train with me this week. She's holed up in Cena's pool house again."

"I'll go over there next off day." Dwayne assured him. "See if I can get her out at least for dinner, maybe a movie or something. I don't want to push wrestling on her right now. You know when she's ready she'll step back up to the plate. You taught her more than I have at this point."

"I just hate to see her lose momentum."

"We're rolling into Wrestlemania season in a month's time. Let her slump for this month. I think the excitement for Wrestlemania will remind her of her love for this business all on it's own. After all, it's contagious." Dwayne sat back and glanced at the TV screen showing flight times to make sure they were still on schedule.

"And what do we do about the 19th of this month, Johnson? It's basically D-Day." Hunter pointed out. "One of us should take her on vacation or something."

"One, I have a very pregnant fiance I can't leave to take Haley on vacation," Dwayne protested. "And two, even Steph would draw the line at you whisking Haley off without her."

"Who said Steph had to stay home? Or Candice for that matter?"

"She was supposed to be getting married on that day, Helmsley." Dwayne reminded him. "The last thing Haley would want is to be around a happy couple."

"Good point." Hunter groaned in disgust. "There's got to be some way I can help her."

"Well short of convincing Kelly to take her out of town without Evan, we're stuck on that idea." Dwayne shook his head. "I'll get her out on that day. I live in Tampa too so it's easier for me. That or I'll get Candice to take her out. Something."

"All right." Hunter conceded. "This whole thing sucks up one side and down the other."

"Ain't that the truth." Dwayne agreed.

* * *

There was still an hour before his flight was due to take off and Randy had decided he could use a cup of coffee while he waited. Plus it would give him five minutes away from Ted and Cody, who were crudely rating the female passengers around them on a one to ten scale.

"Where are you going Randy?" Cody asked when Randy pushed up to his feet.

"Coffee." He said tersely, before heaving a sigh. "Either of you two want anything?" He added as an afterthought.

"Hell, that sounds pretty good right now. One for me too." Ted grinned. "Damn, that blonde over there with the huge rack, definitely a nine."

"I'm fighting off a cold." Cody frowned ruefully. "So it would probably be better for me to have tea."

"Green Tea." Randy ignored Ted's comment and eyed Cody warily. "With honey, not sugar. You better not pass it along."

"I've been taking Vitamin C." Cody promised, looking a little indignant. "I wouldn't risk the whole stable coming down with it."

"Good." Randy shoved his phone into his pocket and left his carry-on with them before heading off to relocate the Starbuck's kiosk he had passed after he had been cleared by security.

He walked by several other gates, then rounded the corner that would lead him back towards security and paused mid-step, unable to keep the amused grin off his face.

Haley Mariano stood several yards ahead of him, balancing her own carry-on while attempting to drag a duffle bag that appeared to be the same size as she was. Her cheeks were slightly pink from exertion, and several strands of hair had fallen out of the messy bun she wore. It was probably one of the cutest things he had ever seen.

All thoughts of coffee forgotten, he strode forward with determination in each step. "You forgot your magic bracelets." He called out.

She glanced up at the sound of his voice, immediately wary of his approach. "Excuse me?"

"Wonder Woman doesn't have her powers without her magic bracelets." He said, taking the handle of the duffle bag from her and hefting it off the ground. "Christ, what's in here, bricks?"

"Knowing Cena, probably dumbells or something." With her hands now free, she shoved the hair back behind her ears. "You really don't have to…"

"Where's Cena to lug his own crap?" Randy asked, glancing around for the WWE Champion, tempted to throw the aforementioned bag at his head for leaving it to Haley, all five foot four inches of her to carry to the gate.

"Probably collapsing under all of Nikki's shoes." Haley shrugged. "The bag didn't start getting heavy until after I had to pull it off the x-ray machine."

"Well, his girlfriend's shoes and his luggage should be his problem, not yours." Randy said matter-of-factly. "He wants to pack this things full of weights he shouldn't expect a pint sized Diva to carry it."

"I'm not that short." The look she gave him was mutinous and made him smile.

"Whatever." Randy hitched it higher up on his shoulder. "Where are you taking this thing anyway?"

"To the Gate." She replied. "John doesn't check in bags. That is his carry-on."

Randy rolled his eyes. "Freaking Cena. Here," He dug into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out his wallet. "I'll trade you jobs. If you can head over to that Starbuck's and order two regular coffee in Fratalian, and a Green Tea with honey, and whatever you want for yourself, I'll carry this monstrosity over to the Gate for you."

"Look, you really don't have to-" She began to protest.

"It's a trade, Haley and you're getting the better part of the deal." He pointed out. "Go on. I'll bring this over there for you." Not giving her a chance to argue, he turned around and headed back to the Gate where their flight would take off from.

Both Cody and Ted frowned when he set the duffle bag down two seat rows away from them and he appeared to be coffeeless.

"Where's the coffee?" Ted asked.

"It's coming." Randy replied to him dryly, rubbing his shoulder where the strap had dug in. "Cena is an idiot, thinking Haley could cart this thing all the way to the damn gate."

Five minutes later, Haley joined them in the Gate, carrying a tray with four steaming cups. She strode purposefully over to him, ignoring the bewildered gazes of her two mentors, Triple H getting to his feet, and the growing glare on Ted's face.

"Here." She thrust the tray over into his hands, his change sitting neatly between the cups. "Two coffees, a Green Tea, and I got myself a latte." She plucked her beverage from the tray. "So I guess I should thank you, for carrying Cena's bag, and for the latte."

Knowing Triple H was crossing the waiting area, Randy gave her a quick smile. "Anytime Hales." He said, using her old nickname.

Not wanting an asskicking, he left it at that and carried the tray back over to his two teammates.

"Is Haley on our good side again?" Cody asked, accepting his tea and looking thoroughly confused.

Randy shoved his change into his pocket and sat back down. "She's not on any side. We traded jobs because Cena left her with his ridiculously heavy bag."

"And that's all there is to it?" Ted asked, accusation in his tone.

Randy hid his smile behind his coffee cup. "Yeah."

* * *

**A/N: Well, Randy kept it short and sweet, good for him. That's small but significant progress following his apology. Haley wound up more baffled than frightened of him. Of course, now Triple H is going to be even more worried, but that's ok, he'll get over it. Eventually. Also, I thought it would be nice to have a moment where Haley could confide in John, because while they might be roommates, their not best friends and she can be a little more relaxed in what she says to him because he's not judgmental and there's less pressure. So I hope you all enjoyed that little scene.**

**Also there's a link in my profile that connects to a blog I set up for Haley. I will be continually updating it as her journey progresses so check it out if you want ;)**


	12. Can't Hate You Anymore

**Chapter Eleven: Can't Hate You Anymore**

"_And so I'm letting go of everything we were. That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. We built it up to watch it fall, like we meant nothing at all. I gave and gave the best of me, couldn't give you what you need. You walked away. You stole my life. Just to find what you're looking for. But no matter how I try, I can't hate you anymore." - Nick Lachey_

"I still think you should burn it." Candice Michelle said, stretching out on the queen sized bed in Haley's bedroom. The former Women's Champion was really beginning to show now, and she seemed to glow with her pregnancy.

"It's way too expensive and lovely to burn." Haley shook her head at her best friend's suggestion, lining a shipping box with several layers of tissue paper. "This is a much better idea."

"Sure." Candice nodded in agreement. "It's downright noble and generous, which are traits you already have in spades. Can't you just be human like the rest of us, get mad and destroy it."

Haley couldn't help but let out a quiet chuckle. "The Bridal Garden is completely non-profit, Candice. I feel better doing this than destroying a perfectly good dress just because I'm not going to wear it after all."

"Fine, fine, continue to be a saint." Candice rolled her eyes playfully, then sighed when Haley held up the gown she'd bought months ago for a wedding never to be. "You're right, it really is lovely."

The gown was as white as purely driven snow, with a full A-line skirt. There was no detailing the skirt or the bodice, just shimmering white satin, except for the filmy white lace that decorate the bust and created an illusion cap sleeve on the upper arms. Unique, simple and elegant; everything Haley had ever wanted in a wedding dress.

"And one other lucky woman will have it for her perfect day." Haley delicately folded it and slipped it inside the box. She protectively covered it with the tissue paper and went about taping it closed.

"I really hate Dave." Candice said with disgust. "I mean God, how could we all have been so wrong about him?"

Haley shrugged. "I don't know. He's got even Hunter baffled and that is no easy feat. But it doesn't matter. Everything is cancelled, officially. This is the last wedding related thing on my to-do list."

"We should be preparing to get you shitfaced at your Bachelorette party instead." Candice draped a hand over the swell in her belly. "McCool and I had the best ideas too."

"Well, we can use them for yours instead." Haley assured her. "I mean, you and Dwayne still plan on getting married after the baby is born, right?"

Candice glanced down at her engagement ring and grinned. "Oh yeah. And while yes, we can use them for mine, it doesn't change the fact that we should all be going out for you tonight instead."

"Nothing I can do about that, Candi." Haley set the box aside to bring to the post office later. "Dave doesn't want me anymore. So I have to let go of that future."

"Which you couldn't do by being a pissed off female? Burning the wedding dress, keying his car, slashing his tires, clawing Layla's face off?" Candice shook her head in disbelief. "I'm still waiting for you to just get mad."

"I can't seem to find my mad, Candi." Haley shoved a hand through her hair. "I'm too tired to be mad. And acting hysterical about it won't change what's happened."

"So you're just going to let him win? Let Layla win?" Candice snorted in disbelief. "Come on Haley, I know you better than that. You should at least be trying to kick Layla's ass. I mean, you went after Eve when she tried to make a play for Dave."

"But I still had Dave then." Haley pointed out. "It was easier to be strong, be mad, be fearless when I had him. Now, I'm just tired. Emotionally worn out. That pillar of support is gone now and I don't have the energy to find a new one."

Candice stared at her friend. "You don't even hate him, do you?"

Haley grimaced, then shrugged. "Hate requires anger, which I can't seem to find right now. So no, I guess I can't hate him."

"So if you see him this weekend at TLC you're just going to what?" Candice asked, feeling her own anger rise up. If she ever saw Dave or Layla they were going to have a very pissed off pregnant woman on their hands.

"Avoid him seems to be the best choice." Haley answered her. "I don't have a match anyway, so that shouldn't be too difficult. I'll hang out in Hunter or Dwayne's locker room, no chance of seeing him there."

"I'm really worried about you, Haley." Candice told her seriously.

"Don't be. I'm fine."

* * *

"We've got a problem, Cody." Ted Dibiase Jr. said as he took a seat on his best friend and stable mate's couch.

Cody barely glanced away from his television screen, his fingers moving rapidly over the video game controller in his hand. "What problem? Everything's going great. Randy got a one on one match against Kingston at Hell in a Cell. He should easily beat him there."

"I'm not talking about Kofi fucking Kingston." Ted snapped, growing irritated as Cody's attention remained on his video game. "I'm talking about Haley Mariano!"

That caught Cody's attention enough to get him to hit pause on his game. "Haley?" He looked at Ted is disbelief. "She's a wreck right now, Man. She's is no shape to cause trouble for anyone."

"Don't be a dumbass, Cody." Ted rolled his eyes. "You know as well as I do that no matter what shape she's in, that girl is basically kryptonite to Randy."

"I don't know if you were paying attention to what happened this past year, Ted." Cody stiffened at his friend's insult. "But Randy _hates_ Haley these days. Remember the whole war we went through with Triple H and then Batista last year? Randy wouldn't want to touch her with a ten foot pole these days."

"Oh yeah?" Ted lifted his brows. "Then how come Randy wound up carrying her luggage the other day and she brought our coffees? That seem like a trade Randy would make with someone he hates?"

Cody thought about that for a moment and shrugged. "So what? Even Randy did decide that he likes her again, what does it matter? She and Batista are over. It's not like he's going to come back to Raw to kick Randy's ass and Triple H is a little busy with DX and their title match against Jerishow. Randy can do whatever he wants."

"Not when it threatens Legacy, he can't." Ted argued. "That girl affects his ability to think straight, Cody and damn it, we're finally on the right track. We can't risk Haley and her issues threatening Randy's rise back into the title scene and our future title shots as well. We need to nip whatever's going on between those two in the bud, right now."

"Man!" Cody let out an exasperated sigh. "Ted we just got Triple H off our fucking backs! You want us back on his radar, again?! Because I don't know if you noticed but you and me, not on his level yet and I'm sick of getting my ass pedigreed. Oh and you can add a few Rockbottoms to that scenario too, because you know Dwayne is going to get pissed. You want to restart shit with Mariano, you're on your own."

"What happened to being on the same team, Cody?" Ted seethed at his friend's inability to see the potential problem brewing.

"I am on the same team. The team Randy has focusing on Kingston, not Haley Mariano. That's over and done with Ted. Let it alone."

"We'll see about that." Ted slumped deeper into the couch as Cody resumed his game. "I'll handle this myself if I have to. How hard can it be to deter one broken hearted Diva?"

* * *

"I couldn't get her to come out of the house." Candice told Dwayne when she walked in the front door. She set her purse down on the entryway table and sighed. "I watched her pack up her wedding dress to ship to some charity boutique and then we lounged around watching TV, me snacking on pretzels and hummus, she sipping on a ginger ale."

Dwayne pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled. "I'll try to get her out tomorrow."

"I've never seen her like this Dwayne, and I've been there through most of her break ups. She was really hurt when she broke up with Cena, but she got mad and got over it not too long after." Candice headed for the kitchen, unable to ignore her new craving for mint chocolate chip ice cream. "Even when she and Dave had that short break up the first time she wasn't like this."

"Well, she had Randy then." Dwayne followed her, saying nothing about Candice pulling out a ceramic bowl and spoon before digging into the freezer. "As much of a jabroni as he is, he kept her level back then."

"Well I kind of wish he wasn't the Spawn of Satan so he could help keep her level now." Candice set the carton the counter as her eyes widened. "Holy shit!"

"What?" Dwayne looked at his fiance curiously. "What is it?"

"I asked Haley today why she couldn't find her mad? Why she couldn't react like a normal girl and shred her wedding dress and stuff. You know what she said to me?" The candy-coated Diva shook her head in disbelief. "She said it was because back then she had Dave to lean on, how he was her pillar of support. But it wasn't Dave at all! Through all her break ups, including Cena's, Randy's always been there. It's Randy!"

"Yeah well, having him be there for Haley isn't exactly an option right now, Mama." Dwayne pointed out. "They hate each other now. Did you forget what happened this past year."

"No." Candice shook her head. "No one can forget something that horrific. But Dwayne, Haley doesn't fully hate Randy. I don't think she can even if she tried."

"What do you mean?" Dwayne frowned in confusion. "She renounced him after Extreme Rules."

"Look, I shouldn't be telling you this, but," Candice sighed. "Remember when I went with Haley to that women's therapy group for battered women?"

"Yeah?"

"When Haley finished telling her story, she admitted the real reason why she struggled with it so much." Candice turned away to pace, her ice cream forgotten. "It wasn't because what she went through was so horrific."

"Then what was it?" Dwayne was growing more confused by the minute.

"Haley told us, then told me in more detail, that it was because when horrible things happened in her life before, she always turned to Randy. Her break up with Cena, her fallout with Jericho, her first break up with Dave. She depended on Randy, and then he wasn't there. And yes, she leaned on Dave." Candice said before he could protest. "And you, and Hunter. But Randy always understood her, in ways none of us ever could. She misses him, even if she's afraid to admit it."

"Christ." Dwayne swore. "You're not trying to tell me he's the only one who can get her out of this funk?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying." Candice shook her head. "She would have to forgive him first and after what he did, that's near impossible. What I'm saying is the reason she's slipped so low is because this time, with Dave gone, Randy's not here to bolster her up. We're going to find some other way to help her."

"Yeah well," Dwayne scrubbed a hand over his face. "That's easier said than done."

* * *

"Heard you manned up and apologized." Adam Copeland's tone was full of amusement when Randy slid onto the bar stool beside him. "So does it warrant a beer or whiskey?"

"Jameson." Randy said to the bartender. "On the rocks."

"Whiskey it is." Adam smirked. "Kind of proud of you right now, Orton."

"If you're going to poke fun at me," Randy warned. "I might have to punch you in the face."

"Dude," Adam said seriously. "I'm admiring you, not poking fun. You've done what I've never had the balls to do. You apologized to someone you hurt, partly out of revenge, partly over a title. Fuck man, that's some serious cojones you have there."

"Apologizing's one thing, Adam." Randy reminded him, thanking the bartender when the glass was set down in front of him. "She didn't exactly forgive me."

"Well did you expect her to?"

"No." Randy shook his head. "If that's even a possibility, that's going to take some time and serious effort on my part. I'd have to gain her trust back first."

"Not easy after what you did." Adam whistled through his teeth and took a swig of his beer. "Still, she didn't tell you to fuck off, so it's not wholly impossible either."

"You just said you've never apologized before," Randy eyed his friend dubiously. "So why are you talking like some kind of expert?"

"Just because I've never done the actual apologizing part doesn't mean I haven't re-earned anyone's trust." Adam smirked. "Remember Lita? I smashed her with steel chairs, speared her, all kinds of crazy shit and she chose me over Hardy."

"Jesus Adam," Randy snorted. "She was just as tapped as you after the whole Kane thing when she finally hooked up with you. Haley hasn't gone insane."

"First, while partly true, Lita wasn't insane. She was in a dark place, I steered her out of it." Adam corrected.

"Into a twisted place." Randy added.

"Shut up and listen." Adam continued. "Haley is in a dark place, like Lita was, without having married a monster or lost a baby."

"She got dumped." Randy rolled his eyes. "Again, she hasn't been mentally broken like Lita was."

"Orton shut your piehole and listen," Adam snapped. "I'm trying to help you. You can help steer Haley out of her dark place. I believe that. But you're going to have to put in the work to do so."

"What makes you think I haven't already started?" Randy smirked.

"Son of a bitch!" Adam's eyes gleamed at the new information. "Tell me the plan."

"It started with coffee." Randy said. "I hope it's going to end with friendship."

"Bullshit." Adam laughed. "You'll never settle for friendship, Orton. You're going to want it all. You'll want her back in your arms, your bed and in your heart, guaranteed."

Randy sighed. "When it comes to my heart, what little there is of it," He stared hard at his glass of whiskey. "She never left."


	13. Numb

**Chapter Twelve: Numb**

"_You don't know what it is that you do to me. Yeah you stole my heart. And all I have left is a hole where it used to be. And the hardest part is that now you've got a substitute for me. But she's not the one. You don't know what it is you do to me. Yeah you leave me numb." -Nick Jonas_

"You should eat something." Kelly suggested to Haley, while the blonde tore open a packet of raspberry vinaigrette dressing to drizzle over her chicken salad. "The food is really good tonight. Then it always is for a pay-per-view."

The two Divas currently sat backstage in catering at the AT&amp;T Center in San Antonio, Texas. The hometown of Shawn Michaels was hosting this year's WWE TLC pay-per-view, and Shawn himself would compete in tonight's main event as D-Generation X challenged Jerishow for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championships.

"I love baked mac and cheese!" Evan Bourne announced as he took the open seat beside Kelly. He made a face at her girlfriend's salad before grinning at his own plate.

"Don't be a snob, Evan." Kelly laughed, taking a bite of leafy greens. "A rightly made salad like this one if delicious and refreshing."

"She makes a good point." Haley agreed. "I love oriental or Thai theme salads myself."

"They've got some Thai food up there now." John Morrison said from behind where Haley sat. He held a plate of food for himself and flashed a charming smile. "Mind if I join you guys?"

"Not at all, Man." Evan said brightly. "Have a seat."

"The more the merrier." Kelly added. "How are you, John?"

"I'm doing just fine, Kel, thanks." John set his plate down beside Haley and dropped into the chair on her right. "Hi Haley."

"Hey." She greeted him politely. "How's it going?"

"Can't complain." He shrugged shifting through his utensils to find the fork. "Can't decide what to eat?" He asked regarding to the fact of the four of them, she was the only one without a plate of food.

"I'm sure they could toss a Thai salad together if they have some Thai food up there." Kelly told Haley. "You should go up and ask."

"With how anorexically skinny she's getting, she might want to go for a burger instead." A new voice commented cattily. "The emaciated look is so not in, Haley, and you might want to get someone in makeup to cover those bags under your eyes."

Haley stiffened at the sounded of Layla's grating voice.

"Excuse you." Kelly snapped, her pretty face transforming into a rather fearsome glare. "Who the hell invited you over? Don't you have some Superstar to be servicing or something?"

"Oh that's rich, Blondie," Layla snorted. "Coming from you?"

Evan put a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder that was both soothing and restraining. "I suggest you move along, Layla," He said calmly. "You'll find you don't have any fans at this table."

"We all think you're a bitch." Morrison said with just as cool a tone as Evan's.

"Hey." Layla held her hands up innocently. "It's bad enough Haley lost Dave to me because of her pathetic personality. She can at least do a little something about her curves, though they'll never be top grade like mine."

"Why? Cause you paid for them?" Kelly retorted, showing no love lost for her former Extreme Expose dance partner.

"You better shut your mouth, Barbie doll!" Layla's dark eyes narrowed.

"Layla!"

Now Haley did cringe, recognizing Dave's voice with every fiber of her being. The Animal stalked away from the food line and headed towards them. His expression held no amusement and he appeared annoyed more than anything.

"Hey Dickwad," Evan said bravely. "Why don't you drag your girlfriend off? We don't need her lack of class around here."

Very gently, Morrison's hand slipped down Haley's chair to rest supportingly on her lower back. The Shaman of Sexay said nothing and kept his eyes focused on Dave, but the silent show of unity brought a faint tickle to her gut.

"Baby," Layla trailed her hand over Dave's broad chest once he reached them. "I was just trying to give Haley some constructive criticism. Don't you think she's gotten too thin? She could stand to put on a couple pounds."

"Constructive criticism my ass!" Kelly looked completely outraged. "And you, you sorry, worthless son of a bitch!" She rounded on Dave. "You keep yourself and your whore on a leash and away from Haley!"

"Easy Kel," Evan gripped her bicep in warning.

"Layla, I have an important title match to focus on tonight." Dave said to his new girlfriend. "I don't have time for your games. So let's go."

"Fine." Layla shot Haley one last triumphant smirk, before she spun on her heel to head towards the food line.

Dave turned to follow her, but paused before leaving. "You are starting to look like a bag of bones, Haley. You get too thin you might lose your job. No T&amp;A, no value to the company."

"Son of a-" Morrison seethed, but Dave was already striding away, halfway across the room with his long legs.

"Let it go." Haley said quietly. "I appreciate you all sticking up for me. But, they're not wrong, are they? I don't exactly look my best these days."

"They're both assholes!" Kelly raged. "You look fine. A little tired maybe, but nothing a little food and some caffeine won't fix. Screw them!"

"Don't listen to them, Haley." Evan agreed. "Kelly's right, you look fine."

"Haley, I-" John began, but she shook her head and cut him off.

"Well whatever kind of appetite I had, they killed it." Haley shoved away from the table. "I'm going to find Hunter, I'll see you guys later."

It took everything in her to walk calmly across the catering room, ignoring Kelly's protests from behind her. Evan must have convinced her not to follow, because she half expected her to fall in step beside her. She owed Evan a thank you next chance she got.

Her breath was heaving by the time she reached the hall, and once she turned the corner, she ran. There was a terrible pain radiating from her chest, driving her forward. She saved herself from tripping over cables and equipment more by instinct than design. Her sobbing breaths echoed behind her.

She had to get back to the locker room. She needed the privacy. She rammed blindly into the door separating the locker rooms from the communal backstage. She battered against it for a moment, weeping before she found the handle to push in and release the lock. Shoving through, she ran straight into Randy.

"Hey!" Amusement at her haste to come through the door fled in a heartbeat the moment he saw her face. "Are you hurt?" He gripped her shoulders in concern. "What happened?"

"Let me go." She twisted, pushing away from him. "God damn it, leave me alone!"

"I don't think so." It might have been a long time, but Randy still knew her and he wrapped his arms around her instead. "Okay Sweetheart, I'll hold on and you can cut it loose."

He slowly swayed, stroking her hair while she wept against his shoulder. She didn't hold back, but instead let all the hurt and the frustration pour out with the tears. The pressure in her chest eased with them. And when he sensed her calming, Randy kept one arm around her and walked her directly into the locker room she shared with Dwayne Johnson. Thank Heavens the Rock was nowhere to be found at the moment.

He grabbed a handful of tissues off the small vanity and passed them to her. "What happened, Haley?"

She looked away from him then. There was too much concern, too much willingness to understand in his green eyes. There was too much of the man she had loved in lost looking back at her. "How do you do it, Randy?" She asked instead.

"Do what?" When she turned away from him, he took her hand, pulling her back towards him. "I don't have any alcohol on me, Hales, so I can't offer to get you drunk and forget it. But I can offer you a shoulder. You used to talk to me once, maybe you can pretend it's back then and try it again."

She let out a wet chuckle. "You are so good at going numb against the people who hurt you. It's like you have this switch you can flip and all of a sudden you don't even have your humanity anymore."

"That's really my IED and crookedly wired brain." He corrected. "Haley, tell me what happened. What's got you so churned up?"

"I know I've lost some weight." Her lips trembled, so she pressed them tight together for a moment and swallowed another emotional explosion. "My appetite's not what it should be. And I know Layla is a bitch who revels in my misery and I shouldn't listen to her, but when she and Dave start taking pot shots about how shitty I look, I'm reminded that she looks fantastic and he picked her over me."

"I don't have her boobs, or her ass. She's got the Championship right now and he's well on his way to being Champion again." She continued. "They're just launching forward, happy as can be and I'm stuck in neutral. I can't even get mad, Randy. I don't know why, I had no problem getting mad at you."

"Haley," His voice was deep, gentle and it shamed her that she wanted to curl into him, to pretend he was still the guy he used to be and just let him hold her. "You're going to find your way. No one knows how strong you are better than I do. And maybe you've dropped some weight, but it's nothing you can't put back on, and you're as beautiful as you ever were. And this, coming from your former enemy, should mean something."

"Randy, why are you helping me?" She asked softly.

"Because I screwed up in the most epic of ways. And while I might not deserve a spot back in your life, I'm going to try and be the guy I should have been all along. You don't have to accept it, or me. But right now, you needed my shoulder and I wanted to let you have it." He tugged a lock of her hair. "Want me to get someone to take you back to the hotel? I don't think you're actually needed to accompany Rock for his promo tonight."

"No." She indulged herself for one moment, considered the offer, then shook her head. "That would give them both way too much satisfaction. I have to stop running."

"That's more like the Haley I know." He said with approval. "We should do some work with your makeup though. Got any visine?"

She laughed and winced at the same time. "That bad?"

"Eyes are red-rimmed and puffy. They need a little work." He smiled back at her. "We'll fix you up."

He went out and got her ice for her eyes, and a bottle of water he said would soothe her throat. He chatted lightly about his own match against Kofi Kingston that night, while she did damage control with her cosmetic case. But Randy's mind was multi-tasking and his other thoughts, directed towards the Animal and Layla, were on the darker side.

"That looks almost perfect. Maybe a little more concealer right here," He touched the very base of his own eye socket with his finger to demonstrate.

Haley looked at her reflection in the mirror, studied it closely. He was right and she picked up her pot of Almay's concealer and dabbed more beneath her eyes. "Better?"

"Perfect." He nodded in approval. "You are ten times the woman she is, Haley. I wish you would believe it."

"I'm trying to." She turned away from the mirror to look at him directly. "Thank you, for dealing with my emotional breakdown."

"After everything you've been through this year, you're entitled to one, or ten." He grimaced. "I just wish I hadn't been such a big part of that everything. You are one of the strongest women I've ever known, and you've always been beautiful to me. Even when I hated you I always thought so. And I have no doubt that you're going to come through this, just as fierce was you've ever been. You'll find your mad, and when you do, they are going to regret ever crossing you."

He got to his feet and gently squeezed her shoulder. "Lord knows after Extreme Rules last year, I sure did. Have a good show, Haley."

"Good luck tonight, Randy." She said quietly, watching him give her a small salute before he headed out the locker room door.

Two minutes later, the door flung back open and Dwayne came in wide eyed. "Did I just see Orton leave here? Are you hurt? Did he threaten you, Haley Baby? I'll kill him this time, I swear I-"

"Dwayne." She shook her head and smiled. "He actually helped me. You don't have to kill him, at least not tonight."

"Helped you?" The Rock looked surprised. "With what?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I feel better so whatever he did worked." Odd, she thought. She felt a little stronger now, like if she crossed paths with Layla again tonight she was prepared for whatever it was the other woman wanted to throw at her.

"I still don't trust that Jabroni." Dwayne grumbled. "You'd do best to stay away from him. I don't want to take any chances with your safety."

"I don't seek him out, Dwayne. But the few run-ins we've had, I haven't been worried about my safety." She assured him. "I think he's well focused on Kofi. So we should be focusing on your promo tonight, especially if you plan on touting yourself to win the Royal Rumble."

"First official participant." Dwayne grinned. "2010 is going to the year of the People's Champion Haley Baby."

"Well then, we better get you ready to start it off with a bang."


	14. The Longest Night

**Chapter 13: The Longest Night**

"_Are you lost, where you are? Can you find your way when you're so far? Do you fear where you are? A thousand miles from home. So here we are, set into motion. We'll steal a car and crash in the ocean. You and I are caught in a fading light, on the longest night." - Howie Day_

For December 19, 2009, Haley had planned on hiding away from the entire world by spending what should have been her wedding day in bed. She had ordered John not to let anyone bother her, no matter how good their intentions were and focused on trying to sleep the day away. And while John had made good on his promise, judging by all the concerned calls and texts she was receiving about being alone today, Haley's original plans weren't going as smoothly.

Her internal alarm clock had woken her at seven a.m and unable to fall back asleep right away, she got up to make herself some coffee and indulge in some poptarts because today of all days she was allowed to eat her feelings. She had parked herself on the couch for the next few hours, trying to get lost in a Law and Order: SVU marathon, but with her phone constantly going off and her own thoughts swirling around in her head it was hard to focus on the storylines.

John had popped in around noon time, checking on her briefly. He hadn't been overly sympathetic as promised and left an open invitation to join him at the main house anytime she wanted today. He hadn't stayed long, knowing she had asked him before to just give her the privacy to brood and once he left, more phone calls from her family and friends poured in.

She ignored all of them.

The afternoon dragged and she tried to pass the time by doing trivial things like taking a shower, doing her hair and makeup, running the dishwasher. But the anxious, stir-crazy feeling just continued to build up in her stomach.

Still wanting to be alone and not coddled by all her loved ones, Haley decided to go out to find dinner on her own. She also entertained the thought of ducking into a movie theater and going to see that new movie Avatar that everyone was raving about. No one could bother her in a dark cinema while she wallowed in the fact that she wasn't at the Turner Hill Estate enjoying the reception following her marriage to whom she thought was the man of her dreams.

God, she wished this day would just end already.

She was looking for her car keys when the soft squeak of the front glass doors to the pool house opening could be heard. "John," She sighed in resignation. "I'm fine, really. I told you, I just want to be alone today. I promise I'm not going to do anything drastic."

"It's already drastic because you're living with Cena in the first place." The deep, sarcastic voice had Haley dropping her purse in surprise and whirling around to confirm her suspicions.

Ken Kennedy sauntered into the kitchen carrying a brown paper bag that from the sweet and spicy aroma that came from it had to be full of Thai food. His hair was darker than it had been when she had last seen him, like he had toned down on the bleach and let his natural color start to grow in.

He lifted his eyebrows as he looked at her and frowned. "Good thing I picked foods high in protein. You've lost some serious muscle Mariano, and since yours has always been lean, you look way too thin."

"Yes," She watched him set the bag on the counter and begin to pull out white cartons of food, still stunned by his presence. "So I've been told."

"Well, I can fix that for you." He continued, making himself at home by locating her plates and utensils. "I was a personal trainer before I finally made my big break. I'll write you up a nutrition chart before I leave, you'll follow it for the next month and you'll be back to your normal weight."

"Oh you will?" The first traces of amusement touched her expression and a warmth filled her chest. "How will you know if I follow it or not?"

"Because I am psychic, Woman." He drawled, going to her refrigerator. "And I always figure that kind of shit out."

"Apparently you're a control freak too as you're making my plate up for me." Haley mused, deciding to enjoy his bossiness and his company. She had missed him more than she realized.

"You'll eat what I give you and like it." He said matter-of-factly, while scooping up portions of the food he brought and arranging them on a plate for her. "Here, khao naio (sticky rice), som tam (papaya salad) and kai yang (grilled chicken). Every last bite." He warned her, passing her a knife and fork as well.

"Since when did you become my Dad?" She asked, touched when he also poured her a glass of white wine.

"Since you reverted into acting like a child who can't feed herself." He replied, beginning to make up his own plate. "I kept tabs on you." He answered her next question before she could ask it.

"That's not very asshole like of you." Haley took her first bite of the som tam and hummed appreciatively. "Where did you get this? It's so good!"

"There's actually a decent little restaurant not too far from here. Called Lemon Grass, so Cena doesn't live in an area that completely sucks." Ken helped himself to a beer and plopped down on the breakfast stool beside her. "Can I ask why you're living with Cena of all people?"

"He offered and it would keep me from imposing on Hunter and Stephanie's marital bliss." Haley felt herself smiling. "Can I ask why you're here? Not that I'm not happy to see you."

"I'd booked this day off months ago." He said simply. "I reserved it for you, so I'm going to spend it with you. Don't give a shit if you want to be alone or not."

It was such a blunt, almost insulting statement, without any sympathy or concern and it meant more to Haley than any of the niceties she'd heard in awhile. "I miss you, Ken."

"Say this to anyone and I'll deny it to my grave, but I miss you too. I think you're the only female wrestler who gets on my nerves only sixty percent of the time, the others are all like ninety-nine percent." He forked up a mouthful of khao naio and chewed thoughtfully. "You know, I actually considered coming back to the WWE."

Haley nearly choked on her sip of wine. "What? But you're in the line for the TNA World Championship? Every time I talk to you on the phone you sound so happy there."

"I am. No Orton around to piss me off. Kurt Angle yes, but I'll take him over Orton." He took a swig of beer. "I considered it, because if I kick the shit out of Dave now its outside the ring and he can press assault charges. I do it in the ring, I have no problems."

"You would have had to get in line, Hunter and Dwayne are still waiting for their chance." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, for coming out here to be with me. I didn't want someone overbearing, over sympathetic, I didn't want the pity. You possess none of those qualities and you're just what I needed."

"I'm going to risk sounding like a pussy right now," He grumbled. "But Haley, I care about you. You're my friend, who occasionally irritates me with your chipper attitude and your nagging about me being a better person, but overall I like you. I hate what that idiotic behemoth did to you. If I could, I'd knock all his teeth out."

"Well this is going to sound really mushy and make you extremely uncomfortable, but I love you, Ken." She chuckled as she said it. "Candi is my best friend, nothing can change that. But you, you stepped up to the plate when I needed a man's perspective that wasn't clouded by lust or love, like Dave and Randy, or familial bond like Hunter and Dwayne. Can you be brash and obnoxious sometimes, yes, but you also tell me the truth, and you're there for me, even on night's like tonight when I didn't know I needed you."

"The only woman I ever said I love you to, is my mother," Ken warned her. "And it's going to stay that way until I actually fall in love with. Which no offense, you're hot and all, but you're not her. But, just because I don't say it, doesn't mean I don't feel it. I wouldn't be sitting here in Cena's pool house, eating Thai food with your pathetically non-existent ass if I didn't."

"Ugh, shut up about my ass." She laughed. "Write up your nutritional chart and I'll follow it."

"Of course you will." He scoffed as if that were never in question. "You're also going to finish your wine, then switch to the herbal tea I brought you, which will help you sleep tonight, and we'll watch a movie whatever you want, but if it has subtitles you'll pay for that next hang out session, and I'll crash on your couch tonight."

"Cause you love me." Haley grinned. "Only someone who really loved me would risk me picking the movie."

"Yeah, yeah." He gently pushed her shoulder. "I mean it, no subtitles."

"Since this is the only chance I'll have to get you to sit through a chick flick, I'm going for it." She said in a sing-song voice.

He groaned. "Kill me now."

* * *

While Haley had her first almost fun, carefree night since the engagement broke off, Randy Orton sat in his bedroom, idly flipping through channels on his flat-screen television. He had tried to immerse himself in a Law and Order SVU marathon earlier and when that didn't work, he tried other TV shows. He went to the gym, grilled himself some dinner, logged into his computer to surf the web. He even folded all of his laundry and put it away.

But none of those things had kept Haley from creeping into his thoughts.

No use in denying it, he was worried about her, to the point of being obsessive over it. He had picked up his phone at least half a dozen times to call her, but had chickened out before pressing the send button. She had no reason to want to talk to him any day of the week, especially not today, when she should have been marrying Dave Batista and starting her own happily ever after, instead of mourning the loss of that relationship.

Guilt flashed when he thought about how happy that information made him. While he hated that Haley was hurting so badly over it, he was glad that she hadn't married Dave. Though Randy had once been friends with the Animal during their Evolution days, he had grown to despise him over time. First, for excelling in Evolution where he had failed. Then, for rising to the top of the company with quicker success than he had. And finally, for winning Haley over when Randy had been too selfish and stubborn to figure out how to give her what she needed.

It had been their engagement that had snapped something inside him, causing his IED to flare up in a maniacal way. He completely lost his focus, his control, his love for Haley and in doing so had basically lost his humanity.

But he was different now. Therapy and medication had his IED back under control. And part of that was worrying over how heart broken she must be feeling tonight of all nights. He knew Haley had thrown her heart and soul into making that wedding her dream come true, only to have it come crashing down around her. And while he was sure all manner of people were rushing to comfort her today, Hunter, Dwayne, Candice, Michelle, Kelly ect; it didn't stop him from wanting to be there for her too.

With a sigh, he picked up his phone for the umpteenth time that evening and scrolled through his contacts until he found her name.

_I'm probably the last person you want to hear from tonight, _He punched out on his keypad. _But I know today is a hard day for you. I hope you're not wallowing too much and found something to distract yourself from all the could have beens. I just wanted to you to know that I was thinking of you. And if you want, I will gladly punt Dave in the skull. Again. _

"Keep it simple, Orton." He reminded himself, leaving it at that and hitting the send button. "That's all you can do right now. Keep it simple."

* * *

The whooshing sound that had been set as her notification tone for incoming text messages cut over the muted sounds coming from the television and had Haley blinking her eyes open from where she had dozed off on the couch.

A soft snore from her left assured her that she wasn't the only one who had dozed off. Ken had his arms folded and his chin dropped down on his own chest as he slept through the NCIS rerun that had come on following the movie they had watched.

She sat up from where she had been leaning against his side, using his shoulder as a pillow and reached for her phone, intending to shut the thing off before she noticed the name of the text message sender.

Randy.

She couldn't remember the last time she had sent or received a text message from him. It had to have been at least a year ago, if not longer. And despite the fact that he had comforted her the previous week and they were being semi civil, they were still on very uneven footing. They weren't really back on speaking terms.

So why was he texting her tonight of all nights?

And why did she feel compelled to read this text over all the others she had gotten today?

"Why are you staring at your phone like it just gave you the true meaning of life or some shit?" Ken's voice grumbled from beside her. "You look overly broody, even for you?"

"It's nothing," And letting out a quiet sigh, Haley opened the message and slowly read through it, twice.

"Jesus did you win the lottery or something? You're being weird Mariano? What's so life altering on that phone?" Ken asked almost demandingly so.

He was thinking of her. And he put in such a Randy manner, the old Randy that she had cared for very much, that it took her a long moment before she closed it and put her phone down. In an alternate universe it could have been him sitting here with her instead of Ken.

"It's nothing, Ken." She turned back and forced a smile for him. "Just another pity message, though more eloquently put as is Michelle's style."

"Ah McCool," Ken snorted. "Always was trying to prove she was smart as well as hot. She marry Taker yet?"

"No." Haley clicked off the TV. "We should get some sleep. I'll buy you breakfast in the morning."

"Woman, I'm buying you breakfast." He grunted. "That way I can order you the lumberjack special and make sure you eat every damn bite."

"You keep shoving food down my throat, I will eventually get sick and throw it all back up on you." She warned him.

"Puking is for quitters, Mariano and you are not a quitter. Now go get some shut eye." Ken ordered. "I'll see you in the morning."

She got up from the couch and laughed. "See you in the morning."


	15. Breathe Again

**Chapter 14: Breathe Again**

"_All I'll have, all I'll need, he's the air I would kill to breathe. Holds my love, in his hands and still I'm searching for something. Out of breath I am left hoping someday I'll breathe again." - Sara Bareilles. _

"Haley Baby?" Dwayne poked his head inside the pool house after several minutes of knocking and calling her cell phone failed to get her to answer the door.

He could hear music coming from the back of the small house and decided to follow it. Upon passing through the kitchen, he smiled at the sight of dirty dishes in the sink (she had eaten!) and continued down the short hallway to the bedroom door.

Haley sat Indian style on the floor beside the bed, two large cardboard boxes in front of her. She was gently but deliberately placing items into them. Items, Dwayne noted, that had everything to do with Dave, from photographs of the two of them, several articles of clothing (his merchandise and things he had left or given her), jewelry he had given her and even, to his amusement, a plush stuffed Batista bear.

"You're purging." He commented, with surprise mixed with pride.

She jolted at the sound of his voice before leaning over and turning down the volume on her iHome. "You scared me."

"You couldn't hear me knocking over the music." He stepped into the room and crouched down beside her. "I wanted to check on you. You holed yourself up yesterday."

"I'm okay, Dwayne." She offered a sad smile. "It hurts still, but as you can see, I'm boxing it all up and putting it away. I can't change it. I can't fix it. It's broken and all that's left to do now and is to pick up the pieces, store them somewhere and hope that someday I can really breathe again."

He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "I knew my girl was still in there somewhere."

"I won't be the same again, I don't think." She sighed. "It's changed me. But then again so did everything that happened with Randy and I came back from that."

"Life has dealt you a crappy hand over the past year, Haley." He nodded in agreement. "And you're right, all those hard things will change you. They'd change anyone. But unlike anyone else I know you and you'll find a way to breathe again, as you put it. That's just who you are. That's not to say I don't worry about you a lot, but I believe you'll find your way."

"It starts here." Haley gestured to the boxes. "Like you said, purging."

He chuckled. "You want some help with all this?"

She smiled at him, this time a little less sadly. "Sure."

* * *

_Thanks._

Randy reread the word probably a thousand times over and each time his smile seemed to get impossibly wider. He hadn't expected a response from Haley, hell even if she had texted back for him to go to hell, he wouldn't have blamed her. Instead she had thanked him.

It might have only been one word, but that single word meant a lot to him. She may not have wholly welcomed his support, but she accepted it. It was a good start.

"What are you so happy about?" Ted asked his Legacy leader suspiciously. "You've been staring at your phone for like ten minutes now?"

"Booty call?" Cody asked jokingly.

"No." Randy answered Cody's question, not bothering to elaborate for Ted. As far as Randy was concerned it wasn't any of Ted's business.

"Hey!" It was Cody of course, who defused the tension with a subject change. "Rumor has it after your win over Kofi, you're looking to be next in line for the WWE Championship against Sheamus."

Randy shrugged. "We need to see how this week's show plays out first. We're going into the Royal Rumble after the Holidays and all sorts of superstars are going to be coming out the woodwork now, wanting a Wrestlemania spot."

"We can always set it up in your favor." Ted suggested. "Beat down Sheamus, make him come after you, force management's hand."

"No." Randy shook his head, showing no interest in his former tactics. "The crowd hates Sheamus right now. They need to get behind me to earn that title shot, that means I need to do this clean. No dirty moves, no cheating, no slighting the odds in our favor. Besides," He quelled them with a look when they opened their mouths to protest. "I can beat that Casper clone on merit. He's young, he's green and he hasn't had the training both physically and mentally that I have. I've got this."

"I still think-" Ted began.

"Ted, it's not your job to think." Randy cut him off coldly. "I am the leader of this faction and I'm the only one of us who's held a World title. I know what I'm doing. You used to believe that. Follow that."

"We still do Randy." Cody shot an anxious look between the seething Dibiase and the ice cold Orton. "We'll do this your way of course. No problem."

Satisfied, Randy turned back to his phone and Haley's text. "Good."

* * *

"Well," Donna Batista sighed heavily, stepping back to study her handiwork. "The tree will do, but it won't make up for a Florida Christmas instead of a white one."

"I sold the house in Ipswich, Ma." Dave came out the kitchen carrying two steaming mugs of coffee and handed one over to his mother. "Sorry, but I'm living in Florida again."

"Well, it beats being cold." Donna shrugged, biting her tongue to keep from voicing her opinion again. "And it's a nice house overall."

He sighed with the contrition only a son could have for his mother. "I know you would have prefered if I stayed in Ipswich, stayed with Haley. But it wasn't working out anymore, Ma. This is. Layla is."

Donna made an expression of distaste at mention of his latest girlfriend, a clear sign she prefered his previous choice. "If you say so, Dave. But remember, you can't lie to me. Anyone else but not me. I am your mother after all."

"Ma-" He began, but she shook her head to cut him off.

"No." She told him firmly. "I'm not stupid, Dave. You love Haley, I know that as sure as I know that you're hurting inside over your separation as much as she is, you just hide it better. I don't know why you broke up with that woman, but I do know the happiest I've ever seen you was with her. And that includes when you were married to Angie."

"It's complicated."

"So uncomplicate it, Dave." She just barely restrained from snapping at him. "We should still be celebrating your recent marriage, not sitting here just the two of us in your lonely house preparing for Christmas. You and Haley should be looking forward to your honeymoon and making Wrestlemania plans. Instead you both suffering for reasons I can't understand. Why did you break up with her, Dave? Tell me the truth!"

"Because I love her." He said quietly. "And I will sacrifice my own happiness before hers."

"That makes no sense, David Michael." She said in her serious 'mom' voice. "Neither of you are happy."

"Not right now, no. But I've been unhappy for awhile." He continued. "I'm burning out and she's not. I'll be leaving the WWE sometime after Wrestlemania, going to try my hand at other projects, acting, MMA and such. She's on a different path, she's thriving. I'm going down in a blaze of glory before I go and I can't take her with me. She belongs in the WWE and she'll rise from the ashes I leave behind. She's going to get on with her life and dominate the Diva's division. I'm not going to be a part of that because I won't be there and I can't ask her to leave with me. I won't let her sacrifice her dreams for me. And we both know its rare WWE long distance relationships work. I want her dreams to come true, so I have to walk away from her."

"And shouldn't Haley have some say in this decision?" Donna's eyes narrowed.

"She'd choose me, and we'd either try the long distance and fail, which she'll resent me for leaving. Or she'd go with me and resent me for preventing her from accomplishing all the things she wants to in this company. It's better she hates me now and gets stronger from it, than hate me later and have lost out on all the opportunities waiting for her." Dave smiled ruefully. "She's going to be fine, Ma. She's going to be better than fine. I fell in love with a warrior woman who's going to take the WWE by storm again. You'll see."

"But you're not going to be fine, are you Dave?"

"No." He scrubbed a hand over his face. "Without her at my side, I'll always be a little less than fine. And as long as she's happy, I'm okay with that."

* * *

"So how's the nursery coming?" Haley asked, hopping up to sit on the kitchen counter while reaching for the packet of oreos she had forgot to put back in the cabinet earlier.

"In stages." Dwayne snorted, tugging the cookies from her reach and tossing her an orange from her fruit bowl instead. "More vitamin C." He reminded her. "I'll give Kennedy some credit, he knows how to write a good nutrition chart."

Haley rolled her eyes, but dutifully began to peel the rind off the orange while he put the cookies away. "What do you mean in stages?"

"Candice keeps change her mind on color scheme and such." He let out the sigh of man resigned to being at the whims of his woman. "I never thought I'd hate paint fans as much as I do."

"She's just excited." Haley chuckled, popping the first wedge of orange into her mouth. "When I get back from Boston, I'll sub for you and go over color schemes with her."

"And this is why you're my favorite, Haley Baby." He flashed a grin at her. "So you're going home for Christmas then?"

"Yeah, my parents have been really worried, so this is appeasing them and making sure I'm not alone for Christmas." Haley nodded. "John and I fly out early in the morning the day after tomorrow."

"Tell your folks I said hi, and that I've been keeping an eye on you so they can worry less." He eyed Kennedy's nutrition chart and then began to make himself at home in her kitchen to start putting dinner together for them.

"I think that's one of the few reasons they haven't flown down here to hover." Haley bit into another wedge of orange. "It's nice, having my mom supporting me again. But I don't want either of them losing time at work and money in order to watch over me. I'm doing better and like you said, I've got you."

"Always will." Dwayne assured her. "But they're your family, so they're going to worry anyway. "Hunter's on my ass every day we're home wanting to know how you are since he can't be here himself."

"I'm going down to Connecticut to spend part of my Christmas with him and Steph too, so he can gauge that for himself." She finished off the rest of her orange. "Besides, shouldn't he be focusing on the Royal Rumble. We're headed into Wrestlemania season right after the holidays."

"He wants to focus on getting you back in the game, no pun intended, for the Royal Rumble." Dwayne corrected, pausing in what he was doing to give her a long, studious look. "Are you going to be ready for that, Haley Baby?"

"I don't know." She admitted honestly. "My head hasn't really been in the game lately, as much as I hate to admit it."

"No one really blames you for that." He reached over and squeezed her knee reassuringly. "But I think getting back on track in the ring will help you get over your heartache. You love to compete, Haley Baby, you live and breathe wrestling. Don't let him take that away from you."

"I'm not even sure where to start at this point."

"From the ground up again." Dwayne laughed. "Which means Hunter is going to have to be more patient. Because if we're going back to the beginning, it all starts with me."

Haley cracked a smile. "I suppose it's worth a try right?"

"And it's make Helmsley jealous as all hell." Dwayne joked.

"Okay Dwayne, after Christmas, we'll give this a shot." She agreed.

"You're on."

* * *

Later that night, Haley went through her photo albums one last time to make sure she hadn't missed any of Dave that she needed to put away while she healed. And, it was nice to take a trip down memory lane.

Seeing old photos of herself and John as couple gave her a kick since that felt like a lifetime ago. Photos of herself and her former best friend Chris Jericho made her a little nostalgic since she missed how he used to make her laugh. But she had Ken Kennedy now and that sufficed. She shook her head at pictures with former Divas Torrie Wilson, Ashley and Cherry, scolding herself for letting them drift apart.

But it was the old photos of herself and Randy that seemed to grab her by the throat. She hadn't pulled his pictures out the albums. Which was surprising since she had to remove Dave and any reminders of him in order to move on. But she had left Randy's, even after all that had gone wrong between them.

They looked so happy, both instigating plenty of selfie opportunities while on tour. It was no wonder many people thought they had an affair going on behind Batista's back before the Animal had joined Raw. And it wasn't hard to remember how close she and Randy had been, and how much she loved him, despite her love and commitment to Dave.

Randy had never gone away, not since the day they met. Whether he was her friend or her enemy, or the weird in-between relationship they had going on now, the Viper had made himself a fixture in her life.

Maybe it was time she accepted that.

But could she really forgive him after all he had done? He had brutalized her and put her in the hospital, spent months psychologically tormenting her. He had hurt people she cared about in order to hurt her. Everyone else in her life still hated him with a passion.

But he had apologized. And he had been there for her during her last emotional overload at TLC.

"God." She groaned to herself. "Why is Randy always messing with my head?"


	16. Believe

**Chapter 15: Believe **

"_I promised you all this. I made plans thinking this was it. I never imagined I'd find you and lose myself instead. I just never pictured it would end. And I, I wanna believe in love. I wanna believe in something bigger than the two of us. And I, I wanna breathe again. I wanna go back to the days, the days I had my innocence. I wanna believe again." - Orianthi_

Michelle McCool took a sip of her Cosmopolitan and shot the blonde beside her a disgusted look. "They could at least get a room instead of trying to have sex on the dancefloor."

She was of course referring to her fellow SmackDown co-workers and WWE's most controversial couple to date, Dave Batista and Layla El. They were getting very hot and heavy on the dance floor at a nightclub in Miami, where many WWE Superstars and Divas were celebrating a successful supershow following the Holidays.

"Oh damn it." Kelly Kelly winced. "Haley just walked in too."

"Shit!" Michelle's eyes widened. "We can't let her see this. One it's disgusting and two, it'll kill her."

"What should we do?" Kelly asked her friend. "I can try to get her to leave, we can go to another club?"

"Not necessary, Babe." Evan Bourne approached the two women, holding out a fresh cocktail to his girlfriend. "Pretty sure she has a good distraction at the moment." He said, nodding in Haley's direction.

Haley, who had been scanning the crowd in order to find her friends, had been approached by none other than John Morrison, who was helping her navigate through the crowd and pointing her in the opposite direction of the dancefloor, bringing her towards the bar instead.

"Wait a minute." Michelle's eyes narrowed and she turned back to Evan to eye him suspiciously. "Don't you think it's a little soon to be pushing a new man on her? This isn't some casual break up. They had to break off a wedding."

"He's not trying to hook up with her." Evan defended his friend. "At least not right now. I mean he likes her and all, but he knows she's not ready. I told him to be her friend first, help her get over Dave."

"Well he bought her a drink, so it's off to a good start." Kelly mused, still watching the pair over by the bar.

"She might not be ready for a long time, Ev." Michelle's tone held a note of warning. "I don't want John to get his hopes up and then have it all blow up when she's still not ready to move on and he runs out of patience."

"John's not like that." Evan protested.

"He used to be a big man slut, yes he is." Michelle shook her head. "I'm not hating on the guy and if it works out, great because I want Haley to move on and be happy. But we can't rush her, because that will only make it worse."

"Give John a little credit, he's matured since he first entered the WWE, Chelle." Kelly reminded the blonde. "He's stopped calling himself the Shaman of Sexay and is working hard on his career. He might even wind up being good for Haley."

"Well, I'm not going to let her get hurt any worse so I'll be keeping an eye on it." Michelle turned back towards the bar. "At least she hasn't noticed Dave and Layla yet.

* * *

"Thanks for the drink, John." Haley gave her co-worker and quasi-friend a polite smile. "It's mobbed in here."

"Yeah, you looked a little lost coming in." John nodded to the bartender so that Haley's mojito and his fresh rum and coke went on his tab. "Thought you might be happy to see a friendly face."

"I definitely won't complain." She agreed taking a small sip of her drink, then a second one when it met her approval. "Though we never really hung out much before."

"You had a lot going on before. Plus I was really focusing on breaking out into a singles career. Which I've done pretty successfully so far." He grinned. "And you seem less busy. That and we're going to see each other a lot. Kelly's your roadwife, Evan's my roadhusband, those two are sickly in love, we'll be best friends before you know it."

She couldn't help but laugh at his logic. "Well when you put it that way it makes a lot of sense."

"It really does." He took a deep swallow of his drink. "So what brings you out without your usual posse of girls?"

"I was running late. I told them I'd meet them here, but I haven't seen them yet. Just you." She glanced around again. "They're probably wondering where I-oh." She trailed off catching sight of the very intimate couple on the dancefloor.

"What?" John followed her gaze and then practically gagged in disgust. "Man, they have no class do they?"

"No." Haley forced herself to look away. "They really don't. I'm really getting sick of them flaunting it in my face. They want to be together, be together. But the levels they go to, to hurt me is just-"

John set his glass down on the bar with a quiet thunk and turned to face her directly. "So don't let it show. Why don't you try flaunting something in his face for a change?"

Haley frowned at him curiously. "Like what?"

"Like," He took her glass from her hand and set it down beside his. "dancing with some other guy and not giving a shit about what he's doing. Come on!"

"Wait, what?" She was jerked forward as he started heading for the dancefloor, her hand firmly gripped in his. At the same time, a catchy new beat hit the airwaves as the DJ began to spin Usher's new hit song.

"John, I really don't think-" She began to protest once they were immersed in the crowd of dancers.

"It's just a dance, Haley." He raised his voice a bit to be heard over the music. "I know you can move. I've seen you tearing up the floor with Kelly a time or two. So forget everything else, just move."

_So we back in the club_

_With our bodies rocking from side to side (side, side to side)_

_Thank God the week is done_

_I feel like a zombie come back to live (back, back to life)_

_Hands up, yeah when the music stops_

_We all got our hands up_

_No control of my body_

_Swear I've seen you before_

_I think I'd remember those eyes, eyes, eyes (eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes)_

There was no question about John Morrison knowing how to move. He could rock his body seamlessly in tune with the beat of the song. He made no move to grind up on her, but instead chose to dance almost in a circle around her, causing her to laugh and her body to involuntarily begin to move along with the beat of the song.

By the time the song hit the bridge, she was just as into the song as he was. They danced together, not too close, but not far apart. And it achieved exactly what John had hoped, she had stopped focusing on Dave and Layla and was instead enjoying what she was doing.

_Cause Baby tonight_

_The DJ got falling in love again (in love again)_

_Yeah baby tonight_

_The DJ got us falling in love (in love)_

_So dance, dance_

_Like it's the last (last) night of your life_

_Go on, get you right_

_Cause Baby tonight_

_The DJ got us falling in love again_

* * *

"Do you see that?" Kelly squealed happily, interrupting Michelle's conversation with Nikki Bella, who had joined them along with John Cena. "Morrison got Haley on the dancefloor! She's dancing! And not even looking at Dave!"

All eyes turned to where Kelly was looking and Evan let out a little whoop. "Atta Boy, John. He's a hero tonight."

"And he's being a gentleman." Michelle admitted reluctantly, though there was a smile on her face. "That's great."

"Told you, you had nothing to worry about." Evan replied to her.

"I'd kick his ass if he wasn't." Cena assured Michelle. "It's good to see her laugh again."

"I was wrong." Michelle shrugged. "Looks like he's being good for her after all."

"This is great!" Kelly gushed pulling out her phone. "I'm texting Candice!"

* * *

"What the fuck?" Layla's exclamation was barely heard of the noise in the club as Dave tried to lead them both off the dancefloor towards the bar. He was parched and in need of a drink. Besides, Usher had always been one of Haley's favorite night out singers and he wasn't in the mood to dance with Layla anymore.

"What is it?" Dave stopped and looked over his shoulder at her.

"Since when did they get to be so friendly?" Layla pointed across the floor and Dave looked in the same direction to see what she was talking about.

Haley stood several yards away, looking pretty phenomenal in her little black and gold dress. For once she paid no mind to her surroundings as her body twisted and weaved in a sensual manner along with Usher's new hit single. Her cheeks were flushed, there was laughter in her eyes and she was smiling, all for John Morrison who was dancing with her.

The up and coming Superstar spun Haley out playfully, then reeled her back in so that her back wound up pressed snug against his front. He half expected Haley to pull away, looking uncomfortable. But she giggled and moved with him while his hands never moved from her hips.

"Well that didn't take long." Layla's voice grated over Dave's slowly burning jealousy. "She found herself a new man to try and appear less pathetic. Too bad Morrison's not anywhere near your league. She definitely downgraded."

"I need a drink." Dave forced himself to look away from the pair and head back towards the bar. He knew when he broke up with her that Haley moving on was bound to happen. He just wasn't ready to watch it unfold.

* * *

John enjoyed the feel of Haley pressed against him, but knew the key to winning her over was in not pushing her into something she wasn't ready for. So he moved with her through the second verse and when the bridge hit he spun her away again, breaking out some his hip hop moves that made her laugh again.

She lifted her arms over her head, letting them sway fluidly while her hips swirled in a motion all their own. She looked sexy, carefree and for the first time in weeks, happy. She was letting the rhythm and the beat help her forget about all her problems and heartache. And her whole face lit up when Kelly and Evan decided to join them.

"Nicely done." Evan said to him when they were within earshot.

Haley and Kelly linked hands and danced together yet separately in the way only women could pull off and John grinned. "It wasn't a ploy man. Just wanted her to have fun."

"Well it's working." Evan seemed to catch Kelly as she backed into him out of second nature, falling right in sync with his girlfriend. "Nice moves, Haley!"

John held out his own hand when Kelly had turned to Evan and was pleased when Haley gripped his with no hesitation. "The girl's got rhythm."

"Thanks Guys." Haley was practically beaming. "This song is fantastic. I love Usher."

"I'm downloading this onto my iPod later." Kelly agreed.

"We might be too busy downloading something else later." Evan joked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Gross! Keep that to yourself." Haley laughed, moving closer into John's personal space on her own accord.

"EVAN!" Kelly squealed with laughter, her cheeks burning pink.

Slowly, as not to scare to her off, John released Haley's hand and looped his arm around her waist, gradually bringing their hips together to move in sync again. She gave him a shy smile, but took the remaining step closer so that she was pressed against him a second time.

"Thank you, DJ." John said along with Usher as the song came to an end. "Want to do another?" He asked as a different beat dropped over the sound system.

Haley grinned gamely. "Absolutely."

"All right!" Kelly cheered. "It's Britney bitch!"

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long, Guys. I wanted it to come out exactly the way I wanted because this is Haley's second major step in moving on from Dave. She chose to ignore him at the club after a little encouragement from Morrison and she even let herself be semi flirty with another guy. She even danced intimately with him. Now they're not jumping into a new relationship just yet, but progress is good. **

**Also, I know there was no Randy in this chapter, but that's because this had to be about Haley. He'll turn up in the next one, so stay tuned.**


	17. Can't Shake You

**Chapter 16: Can't Shake You**

"_And every other time a love said goodbye, I just shake it off. Shake it off. Pour another drink, so I don't feel a thing. I just shake it off, break it off. __Erased all your numbers, blocked all your calls, t__ried another lover, built up my walls. Told myself it's over, don't know what else I can do. __I can't shake you." - Gloriana_

Having performed at the Philips Arena in Atlanta several times in her career, Haley had no problem finding the locker room area upon her arrival. Various Stage techs and roadies were already hard at work, preparing for that night's live broadcast of Monday Night RAW. Black cables snaked across the floors, and equipment crates were unloaded then shoved to the side until they would be repacked following the show.

Several Superstars were already in the trainer's room, getting help stretching or treating minor injuries so they could compete at their best tonight. Some called out greetings to Haley as she passed, others ignored her and there were a few who eyed her with contempt.

For her part, Haley didn't give anyone else much thought. WWE was officially on the road to Wrestlemania and the first stop was the Royal Rumble, as Dwayne so seriously reminded her during their training session that morning. Superstars and Divas alike would be coming out of the woodwork, trying to find a way to make their presence known, all for a chance to appear at Wrestlemania.

Haley had been involved in two Wrestlemania's during her time as a Diva and both had been monumental moments in her career and her personal life. Dwayne had also thought to remind her that she should be aiming for a third big moment. She just wasn't sure what exactly that should be. She hadn't been wrestling well enough the past month to aim for a title shot just yet, and she wasn't involved in any feuds to try and escalate to the next level.

For the first time in her career and even her personal life, Haley was without a purpose. For so long it had been about winning a title, or defeating an enemy. Now, she was going through the motions, trying to figure out life after Dave, which wasn't easy. Her heart might no longer be a throbbing, broken mass of torment, but it still ached with the hurt and loneliness of the loss of him.

Getting back into training was a start, but she had a long road ahead of her if she was going to make something of herself again.

So consumed by her melancholy thoughts, Haley's reflexes were a tad slow and she collided squarely with the large body exiting the trainer's room just as she went to pass it.

Haley stumbled backwards, tripping over herself and landing unceremoniously on her behind. She heard the slap of plastic hitting the ground and winced as her cellphone and iPod slid across the floor.

"What the bloody hell?!" A thick brogue cursed angrily. "Watch where you're goin' why don' cha!"

She glanced up from her sitting position and met the hard blue eyes of the new WWE Champion, and Irish born, Sheamus.

"Could say the same to you." Haley retorted, stretching to pick up her phone and iPod. She carefully examined both for any cracks or breakage.

"I'm the WWE Champion. I don't have to look out for you." Sheamus sneered. "You should all being stay out of my way."

"A title doesn't make you a King." She got back to her feet with no help from him. "We're not peasants who bow down to you. You might want to show your co-workers some respect."

"Respect? Respect? The only one around here who deserves respect is me, the WWE Champion." He glared harshly down at her. "What do you even do here anyway? Yer skin and bones and wrestle like ye just stepped into a training ring."

"Says Casper the not so friend ghost who only won said title on a technicality. Cena fell into a table on his own, not from anything you actually did." Haley pushed herself back up to her feet. "You're only the Champion on borrowed time, so I'd quit running my mouth if I were you."

"You little bi-"

"Don't even finish that sentence." A deeper, more gravelly voice cut what Sheamus had been about to say, off coldly.

Both Haley and Sheamus looked off to the side where the voice had come from. Sheamus's posture immediately straightened and he folded his arms over his chest in a classic alpha male pose. "What do ye want, Orton?"

Randy had obviously just arrived at the arena as he still wore his casual clothes, jeans and heavy black hoodie to ward off the winter chill outside. His gym bag hung from his right shoulder and his right hand was tucked into the pocket pouch of his sweatshirt.

"You stepping away from Haley and leaving her alone would be a good start." There was ice in his green eyes as he spoke. "An apology would also be nice."

"Apologize? To her?" Randy got his first request, as the new WWE Champion turned away from Haley to try and intimidate the Viper with his full stance. "I don't think so, Fella. I'm the WWE Champion, she should be apologizing to me."

Randy leveled the Irish native with a dark smirk. "I don't think so. You see she happens to be a former _two_ time Women's Champion, who won her matches on merit and can also says she's defeated me in a match as well." He said referring to the one singles match that had turned into a free for all, Randy and Haley had technically had last Spring, where Randy had wound up on the receiving end of a Batista Bomb and in the record books, Haley had pinned and defeated him.

"Cena fell through that table more through his own lack of balance than anything you did." Randy continued. "So since you haven't been able to prove you're a real Champion, you're probably transitional, just until a real contender comes along and takes that," His green eyes dropped to the gold and leather that was strapped around Sheamus's waist.

"I suppose you think yer the one ta do it then!" An angry flush covered Sheamus's pasty white skin.

Randy's answering smirk grew wider. "You never know, I could be."

"Ye can try it, Orton. I'll finish Cena tonight and then I'll kick yer arse next!" Sheamus practically foamed at the mouth. "I'm the WWE Champion and it'll stay that way fer a long time!"

He shoved past Randy, storming down the hall, cursing loudly enough that member of the backstage crew immediately ducked out of his way.

Both Randy and Haley watched him go for a long moment, before slowing turning to face each other.

"You okay?" Randy was the first to speak, the confident, goading expression he wore with Sheamus melted into one of concern when he addressed her.

"I'm fine. He's just an ass." Haley shook her head. "You should go for that, you know?"

"For what?" His brows drew together in confusion.

"The WWE Championship. You and I both know he wasn't ready for it and he's simply on borrowed time. I assume after your defeat of Kofi Kingston at TLC, that feud has been put to rest." She shifted uncomfortably. "You're more than adequate enough in the ring to take care of him. You could be the WWE Champion going into Wrestlemania."

"Is that something you'd like to see?" Randy couldn't stop the beginnings of a smile that crossed his handsome face.

"Randy, you and I still have a lot of history to sort between us before we will ever be anything close to okay." Haley shook her head. "But, I'm not blind. You've changed over the past few months. I haven't forgiven you, I don't know if I can even do that. But you're trying to redeem yourself, I can see that. Working your way back to the guy you used to, the one who put pompous asses like that in their place, it's a good place to start."

He slowly nodded. "Haley, I don't expect anything from you. The fact that you're even talking to me now is more than I ever hoped for. And you're right, I am trying to be a better person. If taking out Sheamus is the next destination on this long road I'm on, I'll do it. Just do me one favor, stay out of that idiot's way if you can. He's not worth your time or your frustration."

She couldn't help but chuckle. "That I can do. I'll see you around I guess, and thanks for the intervention."

He nodded, stepping aside to let her pass him. "Any time. See you around Haley."

He stood there for a long moment, watching her walk away from him with a smile on his face. Progress, slow and steady progress was exactly what he was aiming for. He was so pleased with himself, he didn't notice the fuming Ted Dibiase Jr. standing several behind him.

* * *

"If it were anyone but you," Hunter had a frown marring his crudely handsome face. "I'd be offended and probably really pissed off."

Haley couldn't help the little squeak of a laugh that escaped her while she dug through her ring gear to find the black capris that would pair with the silver wrap around bra top. "Hunter, I already told you it's not personal."

"It sure feels personal. Whenever you find a goal to train for, you train with me." He folded his arms over his expansive chest. "You have trained with Rocky in a long time."

"One, that's not entirely true." She shook her head at him. "And two, I'm trying to rebuild my life, Hunter. I'm starting with my career and that means going back to my roots. Before the WWE, before I knew you, I worked my ass off in the ring with Dwayne. You're not getting the shaft here."

"I made you a better Diva than he did." Hunter pointed out.

"Because you were here with me, every single day. And yeah, you pushed me a lot harder than he did." She nodded, conceding his point. "But I'm just restarting Hunter. I'm not near the finish line yet. When I actually have something to aim for, you know you'll be the first person I come to for help."

That seemed to mollify him and he uncrossed his arms to pull her into a hug. "I just worry about you, Punkin. I know you're in a tailspin right now and I want to help you, I just don't know exactly how."

"You're here." She told him softly, embracing him back. "That's always been enough, especially for me."

Just then, Hunter's locker room door burst open and Shawn Michaels skipped in, pausing at the intimate moment he seemed to be interrupting. "Um Hunter, we've got new contenders for the Tag belts."

Hunter kept one arm around Haley and twisted to face his best friend and partner. "Who?"

"Big Show replaced Jericho with the Miz," The Heartbreak Kid made an expression of distaste.

Hunter groaned. "Not the Miz. That punk is the worst."

"Seriously." Haley nodded in agreement. "That sucks."

"Well sucky or not," Shawn sighed. "We need to go deal with it."

"Right." Hunter released Haley. "Go ahead and get ready for your match, Punkin. I'll be back in a bit."

* * *

"That girl is poison, damn it!" Ted Dibiase Jr was practically at his wit's end. "She's been back on Raw a month and she's already got Randy chasing her skirt like a puppy dog!"

Cody Rhodes sighed heavily, turning off the monitor to give his partner his undivided attention, knowing the son of the million dollar man wouldn't let this subject rest until he talked it out.

"I mean, he could have just kept walking, let Haley and Sheamus bitch at each other. We all know that idiot wouldn't try anything, Triple H would be kicking his ass all over the backstage area if he did, but no, Randy had to swoop in and play hero." Ted continued. "We need to do something about this Cody, before she destroys Legacy."

"Ted," Cody shook his head. "Haley and Randy have had very limited face time since she got back to Raw. Maybe Randy thought confronting Sheamus on Haley's behalf was more of a strategic move. He is the WWE Champion you know, and it's not like Randy's going to pass up an opportunity to go for the title."

"This had nothing to do with a belt!" Ted snapped. "He saw someone being mean to Haley, and she might as well have cracked the whip because here he comes, riding to her rescue."

"You're taking this way out of context, Man." Cody argued. "After everything we did to that girl last year, Randy has no shot with Haley and he knows it. Plus if he got caught within five feet of her, Triple H would be down our throats again, not to mention the Rock. That didn't pan out so well for us last time, I don't think Randy would want to attempt it again."

"I know what I saw!" Ted was growing more frustrated by the minute. "And I'm telling you this is going to turn into a big problem. We need to take of it now!"

Cody rubbed his brow and relented. "All right, let's say I humor you on this for a second. How do you propose we fix this problem?"

"We need to run Haley off, for good this time. Shouldn't be too hard, she's been a mess after Dave." Ted relaxed his stance a bit when Cody finally decided to hear him out.

"And how do we do that without pissing off Triple H?" Cody asked. "Because I do not want to get my ass pedigreed for the millionth time."

"Well I don't think we have to outright attack her." Ted shook his head. "But we can keep pissing her off, remind her how much she hates Legacy and Randy with it. She should stay away from him then."

"How are you going to piss her off without Triple H finding out about it, Man." Cody groaned, this time he was the one becoming frustrated. "Every time you get in Haley's face, I don't care if you physically touch her or not, you risk him coming after us."

"So we piss off Triple H, big deal! He's too busy being a Tag Team Champion to worry about us right now." Ted shook his head. "Especially if we're not attacking her."

"Dude!" Cody threw his hands in the air. "Triple H was on SMACKDOWN last year! He came over to Raw when we started getting out of control. He loves that girl. I don't care if you touch her or not, you upset her and he's going to forget everything else and come after you. I'm not okay with that."

"Fine!" Ted spun on his heel. "I'll deal with this myself then." He said before storming out of the locker room.

Cody sighed heavily. "He is so going to get his ass kicked. And then he's going to have to deal with Randy."


	18. Take Your Time

**Chapter 17: Take Your Time**

"_I don't want steal your freedom. I don't want change your mind. I don't have to make you love me. I just want to take your time. I don't want to wreck your Friday. I'm not gonna waste my lines. I don't want to steal your heart. I just want to take your time." - Sam Hunt_

"You know it's that time right?" Kelly set her now empty glass on the smooth bar top and shot Haley an impish grin.

"What time?" Michelle asked the question that had popped into Haley's head following Kelly's random statement.

"Rebound hookup time." Kelly explained, while lifting her hand to signal the bartender for a refill of her drink and another round for Michelle and Haley as well. "You are ready for the one night stand, get Dave the hell out of your system."

"No way!" Haley shook her head vehemently. "I'm not ready, nor drunk enough for that."

"Yes you are." Kelly grinned. "And a round of shots will fix the not drunk enough problem. Seriously though, you're not as sad as you were so you're ready. The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else!"

"Michelle, help me out here." Haley implored her other friend, baffled by Kelly's switch in attitude. Especially since this was supposed to be girl's night out.

"She actually might have a point, Mariano." Michelle gave her an apologetic smile. "A one night stand might be good for you. A no strings attached sexual encounter will do wonders for your ego."

"And make me feel dirty in the morning." Haley argued. "No way."

"Haley." Michelle shot Kelly a look to cut off whatever the younger blonde had been about to say. "There's nothing dirty about a one night stand. I mean, maybe if that's all you did was sleep around with random guys, but that's not you. Besides, I think hooking up with a hot guy who is in turn hot for you would really make you feel good. Part of your depression stemmed from Dave not wanting you anymore, well here's a piece of male eyecandy who definitely does. It'll make you feel good, not dirty."

"Well put, Michelle!" Kelly flashed a triumphant grin. "Come on Hales, at least give it a shot, even if it just winds up as making out."

Haley hesitated, then sighed. "You already have someone in mind, don't you?"

Kelly nodded enthusiastically. "From the moment he walked into the club." She grasped Haley by the shoulders. "Your big time celebrity crush and he's been checking out your ass since he got here."

Haley looked up where Kelly had directed her and her brown orbs met startling crystal blue ones. They were accompanied with a stunner of a white smile set in one of the most gorgeous faces she had ever seen. Finely chiseled features with a thin coat of scruff to give him a rougher look and sunny blonde hair cropped short and brushed back from his forehead.

"Paul Walker." Haley breathed. "Holy shit."

"Now tell me you don't want to rebound with that?" Kelly giggled like a schoolgirl. "If you say no I will call you a liar."

"Doesn't he have a girlfriend?" Haley turned her gaze back to Kelly, trying to ignore her increase in heart rate.

"Broke up, might be a break or whatever. But he's been eyeballing you, because you're smoking tonight." Kelly urged. "Haley, seriously, if you do not go for this I will smack you."

"What am I supposed to do, just walk up to him and ask him to hook up?" Haley argued incredulously. "I'm lousy at the first move thing!"

"Looks like you won't have to make it." Michelle tugged Kelly away from Haley a step. "He's coming over."

"What?!" Haley eyes widened with panic. "I don't think I can do this!"

"Hales, relax." Michelle chuckled. "Just let him buy you a drink or whatever. Take it one step at a time. Come on Kel, let's give her some flirting room."

"Have fun!" Kelly winked before and Michelle moved down the bar a little ways to get fresh drinks, leaving Haley completely on her own.

Haley could have cheerfully throttled both of them and had half a mind to, when a deep, pleasant voice addressed her from behind. "Excuse me?"

Haley spun around, trying very hard to keep from freaking out externally like she was on the inside. Sure enough, one of her big time celebrity crushes stood before her, offering her a rather shy smile. "You're Haley right?"

"Um, yeah." She gave him a surprised look. "How did you-?"

"We just started filming Fast Five." He explained with a chuckle. "Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson signed to do it with us and um, he keeps a photo of you in his dressing room. We razzed him about having two girlfriends until he explained who you were. I'm Paul, by the way."

"I know, I watch the Fast and Furious franchise, kind of a guilty pleasure." She admitted, relaxing a bit and inwardly touched she had a spot in Dwayne's dressing room. "I got really excited when Dwayne signed, though I don't want his crazy schedule doing the movie and the WWE at the same time."

"That's right you're a wrestler too." Paul grinned. "What's it like? Getting paid to beat people up?"

"Probably just as thrilling as it is to drive fast cars." She chuckled. "It's different from UFC though. We try to use more finesse and put on a show, more than a down and dirty fight."

"I have to admit, I've never really watched it." He shrugged sheepishly. "But Dwayne said you were probably the best on the female roster today. That's pretty impressive."

"I wouldn't go that far. I don't have a Championship at the moment." Haley shook her head. "But I do okay. I can't believe I'm actually talking to you. It's kind of surreal."

He laughed. "Well, how about I buy you a drink and we can talk some more?"

Her body stirred at the sound of his laugh and the flash of his smile again. "I'd like that."

"Cool."

* * *

_Haley, _

_Last night was great. I'm sorry I had to leave so early this morning instead of buying you breakfast. But we start filming at 4 am today and I didn't want to wake you that early. I wouldn't mind doing it again if you're up for it. Next time you're in LA give me a call. (424)555-6785. It was awesome meeting you and good luck at the Royal Rumble!_

_~Paul _

The note was scrawled on hotel stationery in messy handwriting and left on the opposite pillow but it made Haley smile when she read it upon waking up.

Last night _had_ been great. She had been physically attracted to Paul Walker ever since the first Fast and Furious movie came out. But talking to him the previous night, finding that he was not just a beautiful face, but a beautiful person had hit high on her lust scale. Kelly and Michelle had been right, the rebound hookup hadn't made her feel dirty, it had made her feel good.

Paul Walker, physically gorgeous, active humanitarian and overall gentleman, had wanted her. He'd found her funny, sexy and had been completely interested in learning about her career. As far as casual hookups went she didn't think she could have done much better and she definitely could have done a hell of a lot worse.

To show her appreciation, she made a mental note to donate to his charity Reach Out Worldwide later that afternoon. He had discussed that briefly with a passion she admired and it had helped seal the deal on her decision to enjoy herself and sleep with him. Next time WWE decided to stop in LA, she might just give him a call and see about doing it again. After all, it wasn't like Dave was in the picture to stop her anymore. She was a single woman, who had needs that Paul had finally seen to last night.

She lifted her pillow up and pressed it over her face, squealing into it excitedly. Haley Mariano had sex with Paul freaking Walker and she not only enjoyed it, she had no regrets. Maybe now she could see some of the brighter sides of being single again.

* * *

"I want all the details!" Kelly demanded when she sat down across from Haley in catering. "You left with him, not us, so please tell me you jumped his bones."

"Jumped who's bones?" Melina Perez, who had been quietly sitting beside Haley, nibbling as a sandwich, looked up at Haley in surprise. "You hooked up with someone?"

"It started as her idea." Haley pointed at Kelly. "I was out for girl's night and she changed the rules on me."

"Not just someone. She hooked up with Paul Walker!" Kelly did a little booty dance in her seat. "Didn't you?"

"The hottie from the Fast and Furious movies?" Melina gaped at Haley in awe. "Way to rebound, Mariano! Good for you!"

"See? Even Mel is excited for you." Kelly said triumphantly. "It was time for a rebound. And tell me you rebounded with him, or so help me Haley, I will smack you. You did hook up with him, didn't you?"

Haley couldn't help the smile of pure feminine satisfaction that crossed her face. "Yeah, I did."

Kelly let out an ear splitting squeal of delight that had the majority of their co-workers in catering turning their heads toward the three women.

A disgusted snort sounded from their left. "Seriously Kelly, what are you twelve?"

Layla stood nearby, Championship on her shoulder, eyeing them with pure annoyance.

"What are you doing here? At a Raw show?" Kelly glowered at the other woman. "Shouldn't you be servicing the SmackDown roster?"

"Batista's on the card tonight." Melina answered before Layla could. "She's following him around like the desperate little dog bitch she is."

Haley couldn't help but choke out a little giggle at Melina's comment, which of course had Layla's eyes narrowing in her direction.

"What are you looking so smug about, Haley?" The current Women's Champion spat. "You used to follow Dave around too, until he found a classier package in me."

"Classy?" Kelly repeated incredulously. "You're a golddigging whore, Layla, let's have 'real talk' here."

"Nice." Melina laughed at the young blonde's retort.

"I never 'followed' Dave, Layla." Haley said calmly. "I didn't have to. I had my own career going well on Raw before he was drafted over. And we make the decision to move to SmackDown together. He asked me to go with him, not the other way around."

"And then he got you fired. So now you're alone, pathetic, title less and manless." Layla snapped. "And I've got the title and Dave."

"Who wants Dave now that he's become such a selfish, insufferable asshole." Kelly shook her head. "Besides, Haley's already on the rebound and getting him out of her system. She fucked Paul Walker last night, you know, that major Hollywood Hottie from the Fast and Furious movies. He's younger than Dave, hotter than Dave and with those movies becoming a franchise, richer than Dave. You sold out Layla, Haley stepped up."

"Burn." Melina flashed a cat-like smile Layla. "Run along now, Layla. The true classy women are having a discussion over Haley hooking up with such an incredible guy. You're not invited, bye!"

"You think just because-"

"Get lost Layla." Haley very slowly pushed to her feet and stood to face her homewrecker dead on. "I'm not beaten down anymore. Do you really think you're ready to take me when I hit my fast track? Because when I'm in my prime, not even Dave is going to be able to help you. If you think you are, go ahead, keep pushing because I'm about to push you back, twice as hard and you'll only wind up on your ass, where you belong."

"Oh please! You're only half of what you were before and I could totally take-"

"No, you can't." Haley cut her off sharply. "I won that belt twice, on my own merit. You can't even wrestle on an advanced level yet. I am the prodigy of the Rock and the Game. So in their words, just bring it Layla, it's time to play the game. And I play it a hell of a lot better than you, because I AM that damn good."

"Oh shit!" The excited exclamation came from MVP who sat a table away from the four women. "Haley's back!"

"This isn't over, Haley!" Layla warned, taking a step back in retreat.

"No." A challenging smile crossed Haley's face. "It's just getting started."

* * *

**A/N: BOOM! It's amazing what a hot hook up can do for a gal's ego isn't it? Haley's refound some over self confidence and it's going to get back on the road to redemption. Plus, sleeping with Paul Walker, not bad huh? He was my big actor crush forever, still kind of is even though he's no longer with us. I still can't bring myself to watch Fast 7 knowing it's the last movie he'll ever be in. But he was such a good person too that I felt Haley deserved her one night stand to be with someone who'd be gentlemanly about it. And it opens the door for Morrison, which will blast everything open for Randy. **

**Randy will reappear in the next chapter, so stay tuned!**


	19. Bless Myself

**Chapter 18: Bless Myself**

"_I can bless myself. There's no need for someone's help. There's no one to blame, there's no one to save you but yourself. I can justify all the mistakes in my life. It's taught me to be, it's given me, me and I'll survive. 'Cause I have blessed myself." - Lucy Hale_

"Did you hear? Haley Mariano just shut down Layla in catering not five minutes ago! She basically cut a Triple H worthy promo in front of everyone when Layla came at her." The excited exclamation was the first thing Randy heard upon leaving the trainer's room.

Randy paused in the hallway, straining to hear the rest of the gossip between two stage techs while a slow, proud smile stretched across his handsome features.

"No way. Layla's been attacking her for months now and she hasn't said anything."

"Well apparently she's had enough. She, in a very promo like way, told Layla to get lost before she kicked her ass and when Layla tried to fight back, Haley shut her down on all levels. It was awesome. I think she's feeling like her old self again."

Randy grinned and resumed his journey to his locker room with a little more spring in his step. "That's my girl."

The Viper rounded the corner and felt his mood lift even higher upon seeing a very pissed off Layla screeching at Dave right outside the main locker room area.

"I'm not going to stand for it, Dave! I'm the WWE Women's Champion. I am simply flawless! She has no right to disrespect me publicly that way! We need to do something!" Layla flung her hands erratically as she talked.

Dave for his part, looked bored. "You're the WWE Women's Champion, handle it."

"DAVE!" Her face nearly turned purple at his remark. "This is HALEY we're talking about here! We need to put her down where she belongs and you need to help me!"

"Help you how?" Dave sighed. "What do you want me to do, Batista Bomb her?"

"YES!" Layla's face brightened. "That would be great actually, put her on the shelf for a bit."

"I am not going to Batista Bomb a woman. I don't care how much she pisses you off." Dave's expression hardened. "I've got to focus on the Royal Rumble, Layla. Haley Mariano is the least of my worries. If she bothers you so much, act like the Women's Champion you're supposed to be and deal with it!"

"You're my boyfriend, you're supposed to help me!" Layla stomped her foot like a petulant child. "If you won't step up and be the man you're-"

"You're going to leave Haley alone. Both of you." Randy had heard enough by the point and the mere suggestion of Haley getting a Batista Bomb had his blood boiling. "Because if you don't, I have no problem dealing with both you. And unlike your boyfriend here, Layla, I have no problem giving a woman a RKO."

Dave immediately shifted, giving the Viper his full attention. "Fuck off, Orton. Your obsession with Haley is getting beyond pathetic."

"No, it's actually called being the man I was supposed to be all along. The one who unlike you, has Haley's back, no matter what." Randy folded his arms over his chest. "Did you even love her, Dave? Because I cannot understand how you go from one hell of woman like Haley, to this whiny, pathetic, gold-digging bitch." He pointed to Layla.

"Hey!" Layla snapped indignantly. "Screw you, Randy!"

"No thanks, you've been with at least half the locker room." Randy didn't even look at her when he spoke, keeping his focus on the Animal. "I don't want to catch anything."

Dave's expression however, shifted to amused. "Do you actually think you have a shot, Orton? You ruined any chance you had with her the moment you physically attacked her last year? It's time to cut your losses and move on, she's never going to love you. She chose me, get over it."

"But you fucked it up." Randy reminded him with a smirk. "And I'm not completely out of the running now, Dave. She practically told me there was a slim chance herself and I'm taking what I can get. You, on the other hand, you are going to become what I always said you'd be, obsolete. She's finding her way again Dave, and she is going to get over you. She is going to forget you. She is going to shine and you'll continue to spiral into irrelevance. And me? I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure she gets back to the top. So if either of you try to hurt her anymore than you already have, you'll put a target on your backs, and I've got deadly aim."

He roughly shoved past Dave, gave Layla a look of complete disgust and headed back to his locker room, having said what he needed to say. He secretly hoped they ignored his warning, because coming to Haley's defense would bring him closer to her and closer to helping her get back on top where she belonged.

And hopefully this time around, he'd be lucky enough to stand there with her.

* * *

"There's this strange rumor going around backstage." Hunter announced when he entered his locker room to find Haley inside, stretching for her match that night. "I couldn't believe it when I heard it."

"What is it?" Haley looked up at him curiously.

"I heard," Hunter closed the door behind him and dropped onto the leather couch inside. "Stretch those quads good now, ...that Haley Mariano laid a verbal smack down on one Layla El in the middle of catering, where there were plenty of ears listening to give a first hand account of what went down."

"That may or may not be true." Haley chuckled, following his instructions and switching to leg stretches.

"It's about damn time, Punkin." He said proudly. "Take no more flack from that bitch."

"I don't plan on it." She nodded in agreement. "I forgot how good it felt. To stand up for myself, knowing that I really could take her. I almost wish she hadn't wimped out and walked away."

"I think you deserve to kick her ass a bit for what she did to you." Hunter reached over and tugged a lock of her hair. "I'll put in a word with Steph, maybe it's time we arranged a match between you two. If you truly think you're ready that is. You've been working pretty diligently with Dwayne."

"I have." She smiled at him. "But, before I throw the gauntlet down, I suppose I should let you be the true judge of whether or not I'm actually ready."

Hunter's face morphed into a grin. "Haley Mariano, are you asking me to train you again?"

"I told you, when I have a goal, you're the one I'm going to come to. Polish me up, trainer," Haley's eyes gleamed in a way that made Hunter nothing but proud. "I think I'm ready to go to war."

"That's my girl."

* * *

Dave took the moment of privacy for himself like a starving man would to a loaf of bread. Layla was beginning to drive him absolutely batshit crazy. She just kept becoming more and more needy by the day and he was ready to choke her. Not that he would actually do that, but the mental image calmed his ruffled nerves.

The absolute last thing he needed to deal with was Layla's petty problems and she was beginning to become more trouble than she had initially been worth. He needed to pawn her off on someone else and quickly before she drove him mad. The Royal Rumble was approaching quickly and his only focus should be on defeating the twenty-nine other men in the event lobbying for the same title shot he so desperately needed.

Besides, if what Layla had complained about was true, Haley had found her backbone. And if she chose to come after Layla, then he could be sure she was finally evolving and moving on with her life, without him. Which meant that he didn't need Layla anymore. He could go into Wrestlemania without any other distractions and do what he had planned on doing all along, stir up a total shitstorm and bow out of the WWE, making sure he wouldn't be forgotten before he did.

Everything in his plan was falling into place, but that didn't stop the stab of pain in his heart whenever he allowed himself to truly think of his upcoming with future without Haley in it. And if she was finding her strength, their futures were definitely on separate paths.

* * *

"So we're going after Sheamus now?" Cody asked as he and Ted stepped out of the Legacy locker room behind Randy, who was feeling the urge to go interrupt the current WWE Champion right in the middle of his boastful, self indulgent monologue.

"I finished Kofi at TLC." Randy resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I don't know if you remember, but when I was the WWE Champion, we ran this whole show. I'm ready to take back what's rightfully mine. That idiot doesn't deserve the gold."

Cody shot Ted a triumphant look. "Well, glad to see we're get back to the good stuff again. That Kofi was a real pain in the ass. This is way more important."

"It just kind of came out of nowhere." Ted commented, eyeing Randy's back suspiciously. "I'm just wondering where you got the idea."

"I always have the idea of being WWE Champion, Ted." Randy snapped, not even bothering to look back at his stablemate. "I eat, sleep and breathe thoughts of being Champion. We had a couple sidetracks recently, big deal. We dealt with them, not it's back to basics."

"Right." Ted didn't look fully convinced but he didn't make any further comment.

As Randy started to head in the direction of the Gorilla position from the locker room area, his steps slowed when he saw a familiar figure emerge from Triple H's assigned room. Between hearing about her standing up for herself, him confronting Dave and Layla and knowing she was part of his inspiration in going after Sheamus tonight, he couldn't help but be happy to see her. Though these days, he was always happy to see her.

"Heard someone gave that poser of a Women's Champion a verbal ass kicking in catering today." He called to her with amusement in his tone.

"See!" Ted hissed, jabbing Cody in the ribs. "He can't help himself!"

"Shut up!" Cody angrily whispered back to him.

Randy ignored his teammates when Haley paused and turned on her heel to face him. She wore her wrestling gear, which meant she must have a match tonight and he was happy to see she filled it out a little more than she had the previous week.

"Why are people making such a big deal out it?" She asked him with a half shrug. "She was being a bitch and pissed me off. I stood up for myself."

"Well two weeks ago, Haley Mariano was too heartbroken to really fight back." Randy pointed out. "Now she's basically cutting a promo worthy of Triple H in catering. It's impressive stuff and definitely newsworthy."

She chuckled. "I don't think it was that good. Hunter definitely cuts the best promos around, well maybe second to Dwayne. I don't think anyone can work the mic or a crowd the way the Rock can. Certainly not me."

"Ah but you weren't working a crowd. You were scaring Layla shitless, so much so I overheard her bitching to Dave about it. That, is definitely Triple H worthy." He gave her a nod of approval. "You've got her running scared, Hales. Keep up the good work."

"I assume you're going to the ring to interrupt Sheamus?" She questioned and at his nod she smiled back at him. "You keep up the good work too. Go kick his ass."

"It'll be my pleasure. See you around." He gave her one last smile and continued on his way, wanting to leave the moment good between them.

Ted on the other hand, shot Haley a death glare as he passed her. "I'm warning you, Haley, don't screw him up again!"

Haley simply flipped the son of the Million Dollar Man her middle finger to wave him off.

"Bitch." Ted muttered under his breath.

"Ted!" Cody gave him an exasperated look and gestured to Randy's back.

"This isn't over, Haley." Ted warned.

"Second time I've heard that today." Haley couldn't but smirk. "Bring it Dibiase, I stopped being scared of you long ago."

"Ted! Cody!" Randy yelled, turning to see they had fallen behind. "Move it! We don't have all day!"

Ted gave Haley one last loathing look before both he and Cody fell in line, hurrying to catch up to Randy.

Haley watched Legacy disappear around the corner and smiled to herself in satisfaction. "You go, Mariano. I'm handling my shit by myself, it's nice not needing rescuers for a change."

"Are you talking to yourself?" An amused voice said from behind her, causing her to jump and turn around to face John Morrison.

"Congratulating myself actually. I stood up to two bullies today, all by myself. And now I'm going to get ready for a tag match with Kelly, and hopefully kick some ass." Haley grinned at him. "How are you?"

"Good, though not as good as you apparently." He laughed. "It's good to see you happy with yourself. You'll do well in your match tonight, looks like you're in the right mindset."

"Wrestlemania's coming up, gotta gear up I guess." She nodded. "How about you? Any big plans for Wrestlemania?"

"Gonna try to win the Royal Rumble, and go from there." He said nonchalantly. "And since that's pretty tough to do, I'll work on a back up plan as we go."

"Smart. I'll add you to my root for list, along with Triple H, the Rock and I should probably cheer on Cena, at least a little bit. He did put a roof over my head after all." She joked.

"That would be the polite thing to do." He laughed. "I'll take what cheer I can get. So can I keep you company til your match?"

She shrugged. "Sure. I was going to go hang out by the Gorilla position since I should be on in ten."

"That works." John offered his arm. "I'll be your escort. You've taken down enough bullies today."

She linked her arm through his. "Works for me. Let's go."

* * *

**A/N: Happy? You all got your Randy fix this chapter. **

**Dude, Ted is on a suicide mission! HAHAHA! Randy is going to punt him...again, when he learns of the shit he's giving his precious Haley. **

**Reviews would be lovely. Feed the starving author! **


	20. Belong

**Chapter Nineteen: Belong**

"_Wake up lonely with you by my side. One more night it doesn't feel. There are movies playing in your eyes, you dream of our fortunes. But you're wrong. I don't belong to you." - Cary Brothers_

Long after Layla's soft snores had filled the room, Dave lay awake in the dark. His hands were folded behind his head and he stared up at the ceiling with a blankness in his gaze that dictated he was mentally elsewhere, lost in his own memories.

"_Are you alright, Baby?" Dave asked Haley as he loaded their suitcases in the back of his rental car. "You're looking a little dazed and confused."_

_Haley looked up from where she had been staring down at the leather and gold she clenched almost painfully tight between her fingers. Dave could really blame her for it, he had been just as physically attached to his first title too. _

"_I keep thinking that any minute now my alarm clock is going to go off." She admitted with a sheepish smile. "And I'm going to realize that this was all a dream and in reality I'm still getting my ass kicked by Beth Phoenix and you have no idea how I feel about you." _

"_You're not dreaming, Haley." He closed the lid of the trunk and closed the distance between them to cup her delicate and beautiful face in his palms. "You became the WWE Women's Champion tonight, just like I always knew you would. And, I know exactly how you feel about me, which works out perfectly because I am so in love with you." _

_Her face broke into a smile and she pushed up onto her tiptoes to kiss him feverishly. "I am so in love with you too. I'm pretty sure this is the best night of my life." _

"_For now." Dave conceded her comment with a nod and a grin. "I plan on giving you plenty of others to try and top it. What we have is so real, Haley and I'm going to do everything I can to make you happy. I will do whatever it takes to make sure you get exactly what you want out of life. I promise. In this business, titles will come and go, but what we have, that's going to last forever. I'll make damn sure of it." _

_Her expression softened. "I believe you." _

He could still remember that day, Wrestlemania 24, like it was yesterday. He had won the interbrand match and defeated Umaga to prove SmackDown supremacy, and then Haley had come to him after, nerves clearly affecting her. She had rambled a bit and paced nervously before finally blurting out how she was in love with him, stunning him speechless for all of thirty seconds.

Then he hadn't hesitated to tell her he loved her back, had fallen in love with her more and more every day since they had met six months before that.

But he had never dreamed she would pick him. She might have been John Cena's short term girlfriend when they first met, but it was obvious to anyone with eyes that there was something deeper than friendship between Haley and Randy Orton. Everyone had just been waiting for them to finally give in to it.

Dave still wasn't sure what exactly had turned Haley away from Randy back then to choose him. He hadn't cared enough to find out then. He had only wanted her and had been elated when she wanted him back. He wasn't going to pass that chance up. And for almost two years, she had made him the happiest man on the planet.

He would forever be in love with Haley Audra Mariano. He had accepted that a long time ago. But right now, their timing was all wrong and if he stayed with her, he would stop making her happy. She would resent him down the line and grow to hate him, all while missing out on the dreams she had yet to fulfill.

It was better she hate him now and still have all these opportunities in front of her than have missed out on everything and be stuck with him.

Besides, if Randy had been speaking the truth earlier, the Viper might actually be back in the picture and just maybe, he and Haley had a real chance this time.

It made him sick inside at the thought, but at the same time, no one, not even Dave, understood Haley on the levels that Randy did. If he was back to being the man he was before last year's psychotic break, he could actually win Haley's love this time around, especially with Dave entirely out of the way.

He rolled over and draped an arm over Layla. The whole idea simply sat inside him like a poison festering in his veins. And this time, there wasn't anything he could do about it.

* * *

"_What I'd give for that first night when you were mine. Tried with all that I have just to keep you alive. I wasn't taught this way with a thousand things to say. I was born with a broken heart." - Cary Brothers_

Randy fought the urge for a cigarette by hitting the gym late that night. Sure, he'd gone earlier that morning, but between prepping for a World title shot, dealing with Ted's current PMS and as his mother so kindly reminded him earlier, his upcoming psyche evaluation; there was a bit of stress brewing in his nerves and the craving for nicotine had hit hard upon leaving the arena.

He wasn't too worried about his title shot. He was pretty confident that he could beat the blundering Irishman in his sleep at this stage. He was all bravado and no skill. He'd grudgingly admit Sheamus had potential, but he had a ways to go before he was true Champion material.

As for Ted, well if Dibiase Jr. didn't get his panties out of a knot, Randy had no problem either beating him into sucking it up or giving him his walking papers. The whole Legacy faction was really starting to get on his nerves and he honestly didn't really need them to get where he wanted to go these days. He'd think a little more on it before he made any decisions, but he was pretty sure he was ready to wrap it up and cut his losses.

As for the psyche eval, well, he had been diligently taking his medication and going to all his therapy sessions with Dr. Kane. He'd had no recent outbursts of IED and his therapist told him he was really coming along now. The biggest proof of his turnaround was that Haley, who had every right to never speak to him again, was actually being downright friendly all things considered. He was pretty optimistic about their friendship getting on track at this point.

"_Let's go see a movie." Haley suggested once he opened the door to his hotel room. _

"_Hello to you too, Hales." He chuckled, stepping aside to let her in. _

"_I'm bored." She made herself comfortable, sitting on his bed and grinned up at him. "I already went to the gym, ate lunch and it seems like everyone made plans for today but me. Please tell me you're just as much of a loser and will hang out with me and take me to a movie." _

"_You are definitely not a loser." Randy shook his head in amusement. "But you're in luck because I have no plans at the moment and will take you to a movie." _

"_Yes!" She pumped her fist into the air. "You rock, Orton." _

"_Right back at ya, Mariano." He went to get his laptop. "Guess we should pick a movie then, huh?" _

"_Something funny." She nodded, bouncing over to sit beside him and read over his shoulder. "I'm in the mood to laugh." _

"_Well that's simple enough, all you have to do is go out with everyone tonight and watch Cena try to flirt with other women when he's still not over you." Randy joked, pulling up the website to the closest movie theater._

"_Randy!" She lightly smacked his shoulder and fought a smile. "That's not funny or very nice." _

"_Since when have I ever been known for being nice?" He chuckled, bringing up the list of movies and showtimes. _

"_Since you and I became friends." Haley's eyes narrowed as she studied the screen. "Oh I'm a dope. We should go see Get Smart! Dwayne's in it!" _

"_And Anne Hathaway. She's pretty hot." Randy nudged her. "We can see that if you want. I'm up for whatever you want to see." _

"_Are you sure?" She asked. "Cause there's others on here." _

"_Hales, if you're happy, I'm happy." He said. "You should know that by now." _

"_You're one of the best friends I've ever had." She gently hugged his side. "Now come on, I want popcorn and milk duds!" _

"_Together that sounds like a disgusting combination." He got to his feet. _

"_You obviously do not understand the magic of sweet and salty." She giggled, following him out the door. _

"I'm going to fix this." Randy came out of his memory of a lazy afternoon spent at a movie theater eating popcorn and milk duds. "There's simply no other option for me. I have to get her back."

* * *

"_The moon is the only friend I have outside. One more drink and I'll be healed. I told you the words and then knew it was a lie. I wish I could offer an appeal. You're wrong. I don't belong. You're wrong. I don't belong to you."_ \- Cary Brothers

Haley scrubbed the last of the make up from her face and watched the discolored water swirl the bowl of the sink before disappearing down the drain. She gently pat her face dry with a towel and liberally applied moisturizer. Finished with her nighttime ritual, she shut the lights off in the bathroom and padded barefoot back out into the bedroom.

Dwayne was already passed out cold on the other bed, snoring away. He had an early flight back to LA for two days of movie shooting tomorrow. She wasn't sure how he managed the pressure of a Road to Wrestlemania schedule and filming a movie in a major franchise, but he was the kind of guy who always found a way to make it work.

She shut off the light on beside her bed and crawled beneath the covers, taking comfort in knowing Dwayne was only several feet away. She might have lost her fiance, but with Dwayne and Hunter in her life, she'd never be alone. Dwayne had made her feel that way since she was kid and she knew how blessed she was to have him in her life still.

He'd always be there. They didn't share blood, but they were family. As simple as that.

"_Hey Dwayne!" Haley answered her cellphone on the second ring, lowering the screen of her laptop in order to give him her full attention and take a much needed break from her essay. _

"_Hey Haley Baby," Dwayne's deep, rich voice rumbled comfortingly in her ear. "How's the soon-to-be college grad doing?" _

"_Counting down the days." She admitted with a huge smile. "I cannot wait to fly out to LA and start training. My parents, well my mom, still think I'm kidding."_

"_It's going to be Miami first, Haley." Dwayne corrected her with a chuckle. "I'm wrapping up this movie, going to do a couple guest spots on Raw, then you'll be graduated and you'll move in with me in Miami."_

"_I don't care where it is, I'm just dying to get started." Haley laughed. "Plus if we're in Miami I can spend time with Dani and Simone too. It will be great." _

"_How's that boy toy you got up there handling the news you're coming to stay with me after Graduation? Or is he coming too?" _

_She sighed. "He's not thrilled about it." She informed him. "But he knew when we started dating this was my end goal all along. Nothing and no one is going to stop me from going after my dream. I really want this, Dwayne. I've played by everyone else's rules for long enough now." _

"_You don't have to explain anything to me, baby." He assured her and had her smiling again. "And if he has a problem with it, dump his ass or I'll kick it for you." _

"_You'd scare the shit out of him." She giggled. "I can't wait to see you. You're still coming up for the ceremony right?"_

"_I wouldn't miss your Graduation for the world, I promise." He assured her firmly. "I'm flying into Boston on Thursday, think you can pick me up?" _

"_Absolutely!" _

"Haley Baby," Dwayne's voice was thick with sleep. "Will you shut that brain of yours off already and go to sleep."

Haley rolled over to stare across the space between the two beds in surprise. "Weren't you just sleeping?"

"I heard you leave the bathroom." He answered around a yawn. "And I can sense your restless thoughts from over here. I'm not going back to sleep until I know my girl is settled down for the night."

She chuckled at that. "I was thinking about you actually, doofus." She told him. "About how long we've known each other and how I can't imagine what my life would be like without you. And, I would have been in worse shape through this break-up if I didn't know I always had you to lean on."

Dwayne grunted, shifting over in his bed and lifting the covers in invitation. "Get over here."

Haley grinned and clambered out of her own bed into the spot beside him, hugging him tightly. "Can I ask you something?"

"Always." He tucked her against his torso and closed his eyes again. "Especially if it will make you go to sleep."

"About a year ago, you didn't think Dave was the guy for me. It turns out you were right all along." She reminded him quietly. "Can I ask you why you were so convinced Randy was though?"

Dwayne's eyes popped back open again at her question and he stared down at her. "Back then?" He sighed. "He was a different person. And he was the first person, other than myself and Triple H, that could read your moods almost instinctively. You would light up whenever he touched you and he could always make you smile. He worshipped the ground you walked on and was so desperately in love with you he was willingly to do anything to get you to love him back. How could I not think a guy so focused on you and your happiness wasn't the one for you? But then he turned…"

"I think that person is back, Dwayne." Haley cut him off before he could go into the details of Randy's more psycho self. "I think the guy you first thought was the one for me, I think he finally beat back all the psychotic rage and his old self is on the surface again."

Dwayne didn't say anything for a long moment. "And how are you feeling about that?"

"Confused." She admitted. "I hate what he did to me last year, Dwayne. He came so, so close to breaking me. But the old Randy, I miss him. Like you said, he could read me like a book and always knew how to make me smile. But how do I forgive everything that happened last year."

"I don't know how to answer that question for you, Baby." He kissed the top of her head. "It's a tricky situation all around."

"Tell me about it."


	21. I'll Fight

**Chapter Twenty: I'll Fight**

"_I wanna see you run, anywhere you want. Never let the darkness hold you back, no fear of getting lost. I wanna see you fly, way beyond the sun. Anything you're ever gonna dream, I pray that it will come." - Daughtry_

"Hey Haley!"

Haley looked up from beneath the brim of her cadet cap at the sound of her name and smiled when John Morrison was the first person she saw upon entering the Philips Arena. "Hey John."

"Here, let me help you with that." He closed the distance between them and reached for the handle of her rolling suitcase.

"Thank you." She noted he was already in his wrestling trunks, which were mostly pants blinged out especially well for this big of a pay-per-view event. "Getting an early start to your day?"

He grinned sheepishly. "I was too excited to relax at the hotel. I've got Royal Rumble fever so I figure it was better to just come here early, do some prep work with the trainers and stay busy."

"Seems logical." She agreed with him, falling in step beside him as they headed towards the locker rooms. "And I bet you're not the only one who came here early because they had Royal Rumble fever."

"Kofi Kingston beat me here." He chuckled. "He's been stretching and warming up since practically three o'clock this afternoon."

"Well I can't say as I blame you guys. Winning the Royal Rumble can be your big break, so I'd probably be anxious too. I kind of wish they'd do something similar for the Divas but I don't even think there's 30 Divas working here right now." She shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans. "So did you come up with a strategy for yourself?"

"Yeah," He grinned impishly at her. "Don't get thrown over the top rope."

"Well obviously." She laughed at him. "I guess with all the unexpected elements it's hard to really come up with a strategy. You never know what's going to happen."

"Exactly." He nodded in agreement. He opened his mouth to say something else, but pulled up short when they turned the corner to find someone blocking their path. "You need something, Dibiase? Or would you mind moving?"

Haley fought the urge to curl her mouth into a snarl at the sight of Ted, her dislike of him growing with every encounter they seem to have.

"Nothing that concerns you, Morrison." Ted gave him a dismissive look, before narrowing his eyes at Haley. "I have unfinished business with her, however."

"If you think I'm stepping aside for that kind of confrontation you're more stupid than you look." John stepped forward, angling his body so Haley stood behind him. "Probably a better idea for you to forget it and walk away."

"I'm not planning on touching her, Morrison. I know where she's been." Ted snapped. "I'm surprised you'd even consider going there, but then I heard you're kind of a whore yourself."

"Is that what you're here for, Ted?" Haley folded her arms over her chest. "Pointless name calling?"

"No." Ted sneered. "I'm here to give you one final warning, Haley. You're getting inside Randy's head again and I'm not going to stand for it. You stay the fuck away from him, or there will be hell to pay. We're on the fasttrack again and if you fuck it up, I swear I'll…"

"Do nothing, Dibiase." John cut him off. "You'll do nothing because I'll kick your ass before you get the chance. The only person who needs to get the memo about staying away from someone is you, staying away from Haley."

"You shut the fuck up, Morrison." Ted's face turned red. "I watched this bitch practically destroy Randy last year. We lost everything because of her!"

"Destroy Randy?" John said incredulously. "How about Orton almost destroying her?! He put her in the damn hospital, Dibiase! You should know, you had front row seats to it, you fucking coward. Walk away now, Ted, before I start throwing punches."

"Do you have like a golden pussy or something?" Ted asked Haley. "You have all these guys fucking whipped! I don't understand what it is about you that drives them insane. I look at you and all I see is some worthless _cunt_ who somehow has the power to wreck everything I've worked so hard for."

Silence followed Ted's use of the dreaded c-word. If a pin dropped it would have been heard loud and clear.

Something inside Haley snapped, all the pain she'd been carrying for the past two months morphed into rage. "YOU FUCKER!" She lunged forward, wanting nothing more than claw the sneer off Ted's smug little face.

She was snapped backwards however as John released her suitcase to catch her mid-lunge, wrapping his arms around her torso to keep her from doing just that.

"Haley don't!" He struggled to keep her in check. "Its what the son of a bitch wants! To get you in trouble before the PPV so that you're on lockdown for the rest of the night."

Ted snorted, looking amused at the situation. "So she does have a trigger after all. Good to know. Have fun with that one, Morrison." He said in parting, before walking away looking entirely too pleased with himself.

"This isn't over you asshole!" Haley hollered after him. "You disrespectful sexist pig! John let me go! I'm gonna kill him!"

"I know." John grunted, tightening his hold. "That's why I can't let you go until you calm down. Deep breathes, Haley come on. He's not worth it."

With John trying to calm Haley down and Ted cheerfully returning to his locker room, no one took any notice of the seething Viper who had come in shortly after Haley and John and now stood behind the corner, having heard the whole thing.

"Bad move Dibiase." Randy Orton muttered to himself, green eyes blazing with fury. "Bad fucking move."

* * *

"_But if you ever fall down, straight to the bottom and you can't get back to where it started. Any place, any time, you gotta know for you. I'll fight." - Daughtry_

"If I get you a shot of tequila will you calm down?" Kelly asked Haley while she watched her friend pace the length of locker room.

Haley had come into the Diva's locker room looking more furious than anyone had seen her in a long time. Even Layla had wisely kept her mouth shut when the former Women's Champion looked ready spit acid at anyone who said the wrong thing to her. John Morrison had been right behind her and had basically warned Kelly to keep Haley in the locker room or she might go on a rampage.

So Haley had paced, muttered to herself and ignored everyone else in the room. She wasn't even paying any attention to the WWE Championship match that was currently taking place on the monitor, especially when it looked like Randy was on his way to another title reign.

"Holy shit!" Beth Phoenix's exclamation caught the room's attention and had everyone focusing on the monitor where the bell had been rung and the referee was signaling that Orton was DQ'd.

Ted Dibiase stood inside the ring with a deer in the headlights look on his face. The expression changed simply into an "oh shit" look. Sheamus had briefly gained momentum and the Legacy teammate had been caught attacking the Irishman to keep him from defeating Randy. Unfortunately for the son of the Million Dollar Man, Mike Chioda, the officiating referee, had seen the whole thing.

While Sheamus crowed in triumph, Randy got to his feet and refocused on Ted. There was murder in his eyes.

"Punt him in the head!" Haley moved closer to the monitor. "Punt him, Randy!"

"What the fuck?" Beth looked at Haley in surprise. "Did she just say what I think she did?"

"I heard it too." Melina answered Beth, also looking at Haley with a stunned expression on her face.

As if he heard her, Randy did a quick RKO on Sheamus, then launched himself at Ted, tackling him to the ground and beginning to pummel any available flesh. The crowd was roaring in approval, getting behind the Viper as he dished his beatdown.

Cody Rhodes sprinted down the ramp, supposedly to come to his partner's aid, but Randy saw him coming and gave him an RKO for his trouble before turning his fury back on Ted.

After a moment, Ted met the same fate as Cody and Sheamus, being dropped to the canvas with a forceful RKO. But Randy was not finished, he flung himself backwards into the corner turnbuckle, that crazed look in his eyes meaning only one thing was coming.

"Well it looks like you're getting what you wanted." Beth said to Haley. "A Randy Orton punt kick coming up."

Randy suddenly exploded out of the corner, his boot connecting harshly with the side of Ted's head, causing the young superstar to lay prone in the middle of the ring. After words, he dropped into his predator's crouch beside Ted, and the camera picked up the words he spoke to his now former stablemate.

"The RKO was for costing me the Championship." His deep voice was ice cold. "The punt kick was for Haley, you disrespectful son of a bitch. You stay away from her from now on, or I will end you and your pathetic excuse of a career."

The Viper rolled out of the ring as his music blared over the sound system. The crowd was surprisingly cheering his display of aggression, a Randy Orton chant clearly heard over his music as he headed backstage leaving his carnage behind.

All eyes turned to Haley, who had a small smile on her face. "How did he even know?"

"Did Ted do something to you earlier? Is that why you were so mad?" Kelly jumped up to Haley's side. "If he did, go Randy."

"He called me a cunt." Haley practically spat the word. "The only reason I didn't claw his face off was because Morrison held me back. But how did Randy know?"

"I don't know. But he's on your side enough to kick Ted, end Legacy and threaten him serious harm if he talks to you again." Kelly shook her head. "He really is back to his old self."

"He fought for me." Haley murmured, running a hand through her hair. "That's definitely something the old Randy would do."

* * *

Dwayne turned to Hunter following the end of the WWE Championship match. "Haley was right, he is back to his old self. He just kicked Ted for her."

Hunter glowered back at the Rock. "I don't give a shit. It doesn't excuse what he did to her last year. I fought a war with him over her Dwayne. I'll never forgive that."

"You don't have to." Dwayne told him. "But you should know, Haley's noticed. I think they're on speaking terms again. And though it baffles me, I think it's good for her. He's pushed her through this Batista grief."

"He can go fuck himself alongside Dave. Haley should stay away from both of them." Hunter growled.

"Idealistically yeah, that'd be great." Dwayne nodded in agreement. "But you can't deny the fact that the old Randy was good for her. And he's helping her get through this shit right now, I'm not going to stand in the way of that. I don't think you should either. I don't say we trust him completely, but we shouldn't jump our guns if we see them talking."

"Haley's a big girl, I don't interfere with who she talks to or who she doesn't." Hunter said. "But I don't trust that piece of shit as far as I can throw him."

* * *

"Thank you."

Randy paused mid step at those softly spoken two words and felt his grimace transform into a half smile. "For what?"

"Defending my honor. You didn't have to do that. You didn't have to ruin your whole stable because of some comment said to me."

"It wasn't just some comment, Haley." Randy slowly turned around to face her. "I've got a lot of demons to face, a lot of making up to do and you're at the core of all of it, because I hurt you the most. I'm not going to stand for anyone else hurting you either. That little prick deserved worse than what he got for that show of complete disrespect. I won't associate with it, I won't stand for it. And if he evens speaks to you again, I want to know about it because I will put him on the shelf."

Haley didn't say anything for a long moment, she simply stared at him. "You really are back, aren't you? The monster's gone."

"Monster's staying gone, Hales, I promise you that. I'm not going to fight you ever again. I will however, fight for you, whether you want me to or not." He gave her a grim smile. "You might want to get to a monitor. The Rumble's starting soon, and knowing you, you're money's on Dwayne this year."

She chuckled at that. "Yeah, it is. I'd love to see Hunter, or Cena or even Morrison get his shot this year, but my money's on the Rock."

"I hope it turns out that way for you, then." He nodded. "It's a new day, Haley, for both of us. Go enjoy yours."

"Thank you again, for Ted. I really wanted to claw his face off, but I can settle for a punt kick." She sighed. "Randy, I don't know what's happening here, with us. If we're friends or whatever, but I really appreciate you standing up for me. It brought back a good sense of nostalgia. And I'd be lying if I said I haven't missed you, the old version of you, not the monster. It was nice having him back, even if it winds up only being for tonight."

"He's right here, Hales, whenever you need him. I swear it."


	22. Wasted Love

**Chapter Twenty-One: Wasted Love**

"_So, I'm not supposed to love you no more. I guess that I'm not supposed to care. I held you so close, now I'm holding a ghost. How can love just disappear? And where does it go when it's over? I know that it's somewhere out here. Has anybody seen all my wasted love?" - Matt McAndrew_

"We need to go shopping." Kelly told Haley when they met up outside Gold's Gym for a workout.

"We do?" Haley asked, scraping her hair back into a ponytail after setting a stretchy headband in the front to hold her bangs and any loose pieces back off her face.

"Yeah." Kelly paused to swipe her membership card at the front scanner before continuing towards the women's locker room to store her gym bag. "We need dresses for the Hall of Fame, Hales."

Haley paused mid-step and winced. "Shit, I forgot about that."

Kelly turned back to her friend and frowned. "What's wrong? We have weeks before the event, that's plenty of time for you to find a dress."

"And a date?" Haley pointed out. "I'm not third wheeling on any of yours and Ken's not here to take me this year."

"Well, we've got a couple weeks to figure that out too. Evan's surely got a friend or two who might not have dates already." Kelly assured her.

"How pathetic do I sound, worrying about a date." She shook her head in self disgust. "I just know Dave is going to be there with Layla and I do not want to show up alone."

"Hey, I totally get it." Kelly linked arms with her and they continued to the women's locker room. "I wouldn't want to show up dateless to a big event like that in front of my ex and the whore he left me for either. We need to find you a total hottie that will make him insane with jealousy. You have Paul Walker's number? Because if you do you should totally invite him."

Haley immediately brightened. "I didn't even think of that."

"Well that's what you have me for." Kelly grinned. "I think of everything. Think of me as your Fairy Godmother of sorts."

"Well if that's the case, wave your magic wand and give me a killer dress while you're at it."

"Pssh." Kelly scoffed. "We don't use our magic wands for that. That's what credit cards are for. We shop for those!"

* * *

"So are you going to ask her?"

John Morrison glanced at up at the sound of Evan's voice and shook his head in confusion. "Ask who, what?"

Evan rolled his eyes, taking a seat beside his friend where he sat by the hotel pool, flipping through the latest edition of WWE magazine. "Ask Haley, to the Hall of Fame. Kelly mentioned taking her shopping for dresses one of these days. I figured you might have asked her, or are planning on asking her."

"You don't think it's too soon for me to ask her out?" John set the magazine on his lap. "I don't want to push her and set myself back ten thousand steps."

"Well make it a no pressure kind of deal. Don't be intense about it and confess your undying love or anything. Kelly told me Haley went to her first Hall of Fame with Dave just as friend, granted they were hooked up not twenty-four hours later, but still. They'd gone under the pretense of friends. And she went with Kennedy last year."

John chuckled. "I forgot Haley's actually friends with that guy."

"She's probably his only friend." Evan laughed in agreement. "But if he can be her date, I'm sure she'd go with you. As long as you don't confess your undying love, like I said."

"Man, I'm not even in love with her." John snorted. "Not yet anyway. I'd have to actually go out with her and really get to know her first."

"I think you should ask her." Evan decided, folding his hands behind his head and leaning back in his chair. "You guys can sit with Kel and me to make it not awkward."

"It wouldn't be awkward, don't be a dick, Bourne." John smirked. "I'll ask her. But I'm going to feel her out first. Like I said, I don't want to push her when we're making steady progress."

Evan sighed. "Whatever. But when I told you to take it slow, I didn't mean at a snail's pace with her."

"I'm not going that slow." John protested. "We're friends now. That's progress."

"If you say so." Evan replied. "But I'm pretty sure if you don't get a move on, someone else might beat you to the punch." _Like Randy Orton, especially after he took out Ted in her honor at the Rumble. _

"Like who? I'm the only one who's even flirted with her since Dave broke up with her." John shook his head. "I'll ask her the next time we hang out. Don't worry."

* * *

"So like that horrible N'Sync song it's bye bye bye for Legacy." Adam Copeland walked into Randy Orton's hotel room uninvited when his former partner opened the door. "It made a hell of a statement, almost overshadowed my surprise return."

"Hello to you too, Copeland." Randy shut the door behind him. "Welcome back. You made Jericho practically shit himself last night, good on you."

"Pretty awesome, huh?" Adam grinned at the memory. "You know your two former lackeys are pitching fits about you turning on them, right?"

Randy shrugged in response. "I really couldn't give a shit. Ted crossed the line and I won't have it. I don't need them anyway, so I'm sure as hell not going to put up with someone who is going to hurt and disrespect Haley while I'm trying to redeem myself. He's lucky all I did was punt him in the skull."

"How'd she handle you defending her honor?" Adam sat down in the single chair the hotel provided. "She melt into a puddle at your feet? Girls are usually suckers for that kind of thing."

"You obviously don't know Haley because she's not really a sucker for anything, except puppies." Randy chuckled. "No puddles. But she did thank me, which is more than I expected so I'll take it."

"You two friends again?"

"Not exactly. We aren't spending time together or anything." Randy folded his arms over his chest. "But, she's not looking at me with fear and distrust anymore. It's more like she's being cautious maybe a little curious."

"That's good, Man, that's progress." Adam approved. "But, you do know Morrison's looking to make a play there right?"

"What?" Randy frowned in confusion.

"John Morrison." Adam clarified. "I heard some locker room talk, apparently he's into Haley too. He's been trying to get in some time with her. I wanted to give you a heads up on some competition."

"He is so not her type." Randy shook his head. "He's nothing like Dave, or me."

"She did date John Cena," Adam reminded him. "Proving she can have bad taste from time to time."

Randy laughed at that. "True, but that was short lived and not very solid to begin with. Morrison spends more time on his hair than she does, and he wears more glitter come to think of it. Her type is usually someone more…"

"Masculine." Adam joked. "I get it, Man. But she'll be on the rebound soon anyway she might just go for it."

"She needs to rebound." Randy sighed. "It'll piss me off a little, but John is a good guy and I don't even know if I have a shot romantically with her. She should rebound from Dave with a guy like him, he won't hurt her. I can wait. I've waited this long haven't I? And it's no less than what I deserve."

"You really love her, don't you?" Adam mused. "I mean I knew you were crazy over her because she made you a raging psycho and all, but it's love isn't it. Randy Orton found his one, his soulmate."

"There will never be anyone else for me." Randy nodded. "She's it."

* * *

"Oh shit, not again." Kelly's curse immediately caught Haley's attention as they walked into the lobby on the return to the hotel.

"What?" Haley glanced around, trying to see what would make her friend, who rarely swore, react that way. It didn't take long for her to see what caught the blonde's attention.

Dave Batista and Layla El stood several yards away, the latter plastered to Dave's side. Neither were paying much attention to their surroundings, more consumed with their mutual lust for one another as Layla's hands trailed tantalizingly over Dave's chest and his hands coasted down to grip the her rear.

"Seriously, we're in a hotel!" Kelly snapped. "Get a damn room already." She shot Haley a worried look. "You okay?"

Haley stared at her ex-fiance and his new lover for another moment longer. She braced herself for the crushing pain that normally hit her heart at the sight of them together. But today was different. There was no despair over her wasted love. There was only a twinge of pain in her chest, followed immediately by irritation then she tore her eyes away to meet Kelly's concerned blue ones.

"You know what?" Haley forced a smile. "I'm fine."

"Really?" Kelly gave her a dubious look.

"Really." Haley chuckled softly. "I mean, it sucks and it's not on my list of things I want or need to see. But I'm done crying about it, you know?"

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that." Kelly told her. "That's great Haley, you're finally getting ready to move on!"

"Shit, I slept with Paul freaking Walker." Haley reminded Kelly with a satisfied, feminine smirk. "My love life might be non existant now. But you were right, there are other men out there, who want what Dave stupidly threw away. I may not share with them what Dave and I once had, but we can have something different. Who knows, maybe I'll find something better."

"You will find something better." Kelly assured her. "I refuse to believe that Dave is the love of your life anymore. Because if he was, he never could have left you for that," She glanced over at the couple in disgust. "And you are my best friend, Hales. You're such an amazing person that I refuse to believe that there isn't someone else out there who's going to love you more than Dave ever did."

Haley slipped one arm around her friend and side hugged her. "Thanks Girl, but you know you're completely biased, right?"

Kelly laughed. "Well, maybe a little."

"Hey Girls!" Evan Bourne's voice rang from the back of the lobby as he and John Morrison came in from the pool area.

"Damn." Kelly mused. "I forgot John had like an eight pack." She joked. "Do not tell Evan I noticed that."

"Your secret is safe with me." Haley assured her as she too let her gaze peruse over John's exposed torso.

She had never taken much notice in John's physical appearance before. She'd been so caught up in Dave and Randy that the other men in the company were either friends, co-workers or unfortunately enemies. But Haley was single now and John's lean, sculpted torso was definitely something to admire. As was his chiseled facial features.

"Hey Baby!" Kelly greeted Evan with a chaste kiss once they reached them.

"How are you, Haley?" John flashed a smile at her.

"A little tired." Haley admitted. "We just got back from the gym and our endorphins are wearing off. How have you been?"

"Can't complain." He shrugged. "We just got back from being lazy asses at the pool. Seems like you ladies were more productive than we were."

"I'm starving." Kelly announced suddenly. "Evan suggested going to get paninis at that Deli two blocks over. Want to come with?"

Haley shook her head. "I need a long, hot shower. But thanks."

"Same here." John agreed. "I need to rinse off the tanning oil."

"Suit yourselves." Evan gave John a subtle wink. "We'll catch up with you guys later then."

"I'll swing by your room later." Kelly promised Haley. "We'll go dress shopping! See you guys later!"

"Have fun." Haley waved them off before turning her focus back to John. "Shall we head back to our rooms then?"

"After you." He gestured towards the elevators. "So, are you and Kelly dress shopping for the Hall of Fame?"

"You know Kelly," Haley laughed, finding the up button and pressing it. "She likes to stay on top of all things fashion related."

"Yeah, Evan mentioned she was already getting antsy about finding the perfect dress." John grinned. "What about you, you antsy about your dress?"

"A little, though I've been pretty lucky to find something that suits me every year." Haley walked into elevator when the doors slid open, John right behind her.

John waited for the doors to close again before sucking in a deep breath. "You pick out a lucky date yet?"

"No." Haley shook her head and huffed out a breath. "That I haven't done."

"Well then," John turned to fully face her. "Would you consider letting me be the lucky one and going with me?"

* * *

**A/N: Hey Guys, sorry this update took so long. This chapter was planned a little differently but I'm having a little trouble getting into Batista's mindset, so I had to do some alterations. Hopefully the next chapter will churn out more smoothly. **

**Stay tuned!**


	23. Fight Song

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Fight Song**

"_Like a small boat, on the ocean, sending bg waves into motion. Like how a single word, can make a heart open. I might only have one match, but I can make an explosion." - Rachel Platten_

"You're pathetic, Orton!" The angry outburst boomed through the microphone and throughout the arena, as Ted Dibiase Jr. glared daggers of hatred towards his former mentor the following Monday Night Raw.

For his part, Randy Orton only looked amused as he stood across from his ex-stablemates in the ring. "I'm pathetic?" He repeated the insult casually. "I'm not the one walking around here with a giant bruise on my face."

The crowd cheered at Randy's mention of the black and blue blemish that still marred the side of Ted's face from his punt kick at the Royal Rumble. Cody Rhodes snatched the microphone from his partner and best friend to address Randy himself. "We're supposed to be a team Randy! We're not supposed to hurt each other! We're supposed to be the most dominant force in the business."

"Supposed to." Randy agreed with a nod. "But that turned out to be a load of crap since you two simply stood in my shadow while I was the one to be dominant. I don't need either of you to be a dominant force in this business. I did that long before you came around. So as far as I'm concerned, the only pathetic ones here are the two of you."

"We're supposed to be brothers!" Ted snatched the microphone back. "And you threw that all away for some stupid Diva nobody cares about! Her own fiance left her for someone better! You spent most of last year trying to ruin her life and now you're ruining your own."

"The only thing I'm ruining," Randy smirked. "Is the pathetic farce that was the Legacy Stable. And that Diva you keep insulting, she has more class and more talent in her pinky than either you will have in your careers without me. You're not my brothers and you're certainly not my friends. Now get the hell of my ring before I RKO both of you for pissing me off!"

"You think you can take the two of us together?" Ted scoffed. "There's no chance, Randy! We'd kick your ass!"

Challenge gleamed in Randy's green eyes. "Try it." His voice lowered several dangerous decibels. "I dare you."

"R-K-O! R-K-O! R-K-O!" The chant started softly as several members of the audience began to show their support for the Viper, but it grew in volume as other members joined in until eventually the entire arena was demanding for Randy to take action.

With a nonchalant shrug, Randy's microphone hit the canvas with a crackle of static and then he struck as quickly as the Viper he was often compared to. He dropped Ted first, simply because he annoyed him the most and then ducked Cody's charge and RKO'd him on the reverse for his trouble.

Rev Theory blasted through the arena as Randy stood tall over his fallen former teammates and with shades of his former Evolution arrogance, he lifted his arms and posed.

* * *

"Punkin?" Hunter entered Dwayne's locker room to find his protege sitting in a v-position, stretching in preparation for her match later. Small black earphones were connected from her head to her iPod which explained why she hadn't heard him knocking.

Her head was subtly weaving back and forth to whatever beat she was listening to and she was humming under her breath.

"Punkin?" He repeated a little louder, stepping into her line of vision.

Haley blinked in surprise, looking up to give him her full attention and removing her earbuds. "Hey Hunter, sorry I didn't hear you come in."

"I noticed. What are you listening to so loudly?" He gestured to her iPod.

"This band called Honor Society." Haley smiled. "They're hoping to get a little more mainstream and it was suggested that I might like one of their songs for an entrance them."

"You'd give up Gavin?" Hunter took a seat on the leather couch and frowned. "You love Gavin DeGraw."

"I do." She nodded in agreement. "But, Gavin also represents the chapter of my life with Dave. That's over now, so perhaps my music is due for an upgrade. Something that solely represents me."

"What's the song?" He asked curiously.

"It's called Here Comes Trouble." Haley informed him. "It's more rock, which would be to your liking. The lyrics are badass and it's pumping me up. I'm seriously considering it."

"I'll take a listen to it later." He promised her, before giving her a serious look. "You got a minute to talk?"

"For you?" She smiled. "Always. What's up?"

"What's up is I'd like to know what the hell is going on with you and Orton." Hunter stated bluntly. "You're not considering going down that road again, are you?"

Haley stared at him for a long moment, before she sighed. "To be completely honest, I don't know what the hell is going on with Randy. He's different, Hunter. He's more his old self. But as of right now, I don't think we're going down any particular road at the moment. We're civilly co-existing."

"Okay." He nodded, accepting her answer. "I just worry about you, Baby. With all this shit going down with Dave, the last thing I want is to see you get burned by Orton...again. Plus him going psycho sociopath on us again would not be fun. I would have to actually kill him this time."

"I know, and I love you for worrying, but there's nothing really going on. I appreciate him defending me, don't get me wrong. But we're not even friends." She rolled onto her knees. "Besides, I'm going with John Morrison to the Hall of Fame. My first date since Dave."

Hunter's eyes nearly bugged out of his crudely handsome face. "You're going to the Hall of Fame with who?"

"John Morrison." Haley laughed at his reaction. "I know, very different from my usual type. Plus he might actually be prettier than me. But I think that's the point, right? Try something new from all the guys that didn't work."

Hunter ran a hand over his dark blonde hair. "Hey, I'm happy you're putting yourself out there, Haley. I am. I'm just surprised on the who part, as you said, not your type. But if you want to give it a go, you know I'll support you. Just remind him that if he hurts you, I break him."

"Noted." Haley chuckled. "Plus after our war a year ago I'm pretty sure the entire roster knows that."

"Reminders never hurt though." Hunter rose to his feet. "Come on, I'll walk you to the Gorilla. I want front row seats when you scare the shit out of Layla as her opponent tonight."

"It's going to be great!" Haley got to her feet as well. "This homewrecking bitch is finally going to get what's coming to her."

"That's my girl."

* * *

"_This is my fight song. Take back my life song. Prove I'm all right song. My power's turned on. Starting right now I'll be strong. I'll play my fight song. And I don't really care if nobody else believes. 'Cause I've still got a lot of life left in me." - Rachel Platten_

"And the WWE Women's Champion is scrambling behind her boyfriend for safety as Haley Mariano has unleashed all kinds of hell in the ring tonight!" Michael Cole exclaimed for the audience watching at home.

"Come on Layla!" Haley strained over the ropes, taunting her opponent to come out from behind Dave, who shielded her on the ramp. "That's all you've got?"

"You'll regret this, Haley!" Layla screeched, trying to smooth her hair back into place.

Dave stood as an impassive barrier between the two women, but behind the shades of his sunglasses surprise filled his eyes. Haley had been a warrior tonight, coming after Layla with a controlled, viciousness he'd never seen from her before. If he had thought she had altered her style to mimic Hunter's before, it was nothing compared to know. She was a female version of Triple H and that meant the women's locker room would be on notice. The Game was about to be played.

"Coward!" Haley retorted as Gavin DeGraw filled the sound system again. "Go ahead and run! You can't hide behind Dave forever!"

"Shut up you crazy bitch!" Layla sounded furious, though there was a quiver of fear in her voice. "Dave would never let you hurt me!" She jabbed Dave in the back with a manicured fingernail. "Do something!" She hissed desperately.

Dave lifted his sunglasses to look at Haley with the full effect of his eyes. "You of all people know how fiercely I protect my women." He reminded her. "You want to be on the receiving end of my wrath."

Haley didn't look frightened however, instead she smirked. "No." She shook her head. "I want to see you on the receiving end of his."

Dave turned right in time to get hit with a barreling charge from Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. Layla began screaming at the two men began to brawl outside the ring. Since Dwayne had the element of surprise, he managed to lay Dave out with a Rock Bottom before holding out his hand for the microphone Haley retrieved for him.

"You know something, Dave," Dwayne spat his name like a vile curse word. "You and I both have something in common. Neither of won the Royal Rumble. Which means neither of us is in line for a title shot any time soon. So the Rock got to thinking…"

"Get the medics!" Layla's screech cut him off.

"You shut it, you homewrecking hussy." Dwayne pointed at her, causing Layla to white with fear and the crowd to roar it's approval. "Now, as the Rock was saying, since neither of us is in line for a title shot, there is nothing standing in my way of kicking your candy ass!"

"Preach!" Haley laughed.

"Did you really think you were going to break the heart of the Rock's girl and walk away, Ba-Ti-Sta?" Dwayne mocked his name. "If you did you really are a big dumb animal. You see, no one hurts the Rock's family and gets away with it. So come Wrestlemania, here's what the Rock is going to do…"

"Here it comes!" Haley clapped her hands excitedly.

"The Rock is going to bring you somewhere special for Wrestlemania, Big Dave. Let me spell this out for you, the Rock is going to take you down Know Your Role Boulevard to where it meets the corner of Jabroni Drive and he's going to check your candyass straight into the SMACKDOWN HOTEL!"

Haley danced eagerly inside the ring at his words.

"And the Rock is going to do this all in front of the millions…"

"AND MILLIONS!" The crowd added for him.

"Of the Rock's fans. Because FINALLY!" He paused for dramatic effect. "FINALLY, THE ROCK HAS COME BACK TO KICK YOUR CANDYASS!"

* * *

"Well it's about time one of you went after Dave." Randy Orton said when Dwayne Johnson walked into the trainer's room.

Dwayne gave Randy a measuring look. "Haley wasn't ready for us to go after Dave at first, Orton. Hunter or me feuding with Dave would have kept him right smack in the middle of her life, which was in pieces when they broke up. She's stronger now. She's getting over him. So now I can make him pay."

"You win a rock, paper, scissors contest?" Randy asked. "Cause my money would have been on Hunter handling that."

"I stood back and let Hunter handle you." Dwayne reminded him. "And that wasn't easy because believe me Orton, I wanted to break your neck. But I let him take the lead on that one. Dave's mine to break."

"When you put it that way," Shame clung to edges of Randy's voice. "That seems plenty fair."

"Look, I don't know what's going on between you and Haley right now." Dwayne leveled him with a hard stare. "But I do know you two are back to speaking to one another and you're defending her, so while I appreciate that, if you fuck her up again, Orton, you better hope it's Hunter who gets to you first because I will kill you this time."

"I won't ever hurt her like that again." Randy shook his head. "I know it's hard for you to believe and I can't blame you, but I love her, Dwayne. Always have. I've hated her too, but it always comes back to love. I will never allow myself to feel that kind of hate ever again."

"Be sure that you don't." Dwayne nodded. "As for what happens between you from here on out, that's Haley's decision and I'm behind however she chooses. Don't fuck it up."

"I won't."

* * *

**A/N: This is a short chapter, but it's a build up to the feuds to come. John Cena became Batista's rival going into Wrestlemania, but it just doesn't have the same effect because while he and Haley are friends, Dwayne is her family and I think it should be him that runs him out of the WWE in revenge for Haley. **

**Also, Randy is really rolling into face mode. I know you're all eager for more Haley and Randy scenes. And they're coming, I promise.**


	24. Not About Angels

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Not About Angels**

"_How unfair, it's just our luck. Found something real that's out of touch. But if you'd searched the whole wide world, would you dare to let it go?" - Birdy_

"You going to talk to me?"

Dave Batista turned away from the ocean he'd been staring across. He'd been on the beach for an hour already and the sun had since set, but he felt no desire to return to his house or the woman who waited for him there. He needed this moment. He needed to drop his asshole facade and just be.

"What do you want me to say?" He asked the person who had interrupted his moment of solitude.

"Perhaps an explanation for why you left the woman you actually love more than you ever loved me." Angelina Batista offered him a sad smile as she approached her former husband. "I mean, everyone could see it. And I know you well enough to know your heart is far more broken right now than it was when we ended things. You're hurting Dave and those who truly know you can see you, no matter how hard you try to hide it."

"Angie, you were the love of my life for so long." Dave shook his head. "Haley was unexpected and she consumed me. Once I met her, it was like I didn't have a choice. She was it."

"I'm not accusing you of anything, Dave. And I certainly do not begrudge you happiness. We had a long talk after your book came out, remember? We both made mistakes and that's why we didn't work. That's water under the bridge now." Angie ran a hand through her short bob of black hair. "But you and Haley did. And now you're with a woman I know you can't stand and you're hurting. We're friends now and we'll always be in and out of each other's lives. I'm allowed to show concern over this, especially when you're hurting yourself."

"I made mistakes with you." He agreed with a nod. "I learned from them, Angie. I dragged you into a life that you wanted for me, but didn't want for yourself. Maybe you did at first, the glamour drew us both in. But the long hours and three hundreds day on the road, they took it's toll on you. And while I was getting what I wanted, you weren't. I stopped giving you what you needed and we imploded because of it. I won't do the same to her. She has her own dreams that right now are so separate from mine. I was selfish with you. I can't be selfish with her."

"So you lie to her and crush her self esteem instead?" Angie retorted, shaking her head with a touch of fury. "Dave, you saw what the infidelity did to me? I felt insecure and not good enough for years after. What's going through her head right now, what went through mine? You don't understand. She no longer thinks she's beautiful. She'll look in the mirror and find herself lacking, because the man who promised to love her forever found something better. She'll think there's something wrong with her personality, that she's too clingy, or annoying, or needy. And she'll second guess every action, not wanting it to be a turn off for someone else when she's finally ready to put herself out there. And the so-called rebound, they'll call it a rebound, but really, she's going to tank it by thinking all these negative things about herself and not giving the option of being a real thing."

"That was never my intention, and she knows how beautiful she is, how adored. The people in her life won't let her think those things about herself." Dave denied.

"Don't be thick, Dave." She laughed without humor. "The one person who's opinion on all that, who really mattered to her, picked someone he thought was better over her. She's going to have all tat going through her head and more. You not only did that to her, you throw the other woman in her face and you crushed her by being callous about it and selling that stupid house. And yes, your mom told me all of it."

"Figures." He scoffed, eyes narrowing in frustration. "She needs to hate me, Angie. She needs to hate me so she can move on with her life. I held you back too long from yours. And we both wound up bitter from it. I can't do to her what I did to you. I'll hate myself."

"You'll hate yourself worse for this. Not now, because your ego tells you you're doing the right thing. But a year from now, when she's moved on, or she's not because you messed up her head so much? You'll despise what you did." Angie argued. "In reality Dave, what you're doing is so much worse. You're letting her believe you don't care about her at all anymore, that she means nothing to you. If she loves you the way you love her, she'll carry scars from that for the rest of her life."

"She doesn't." Dave looked back out at the ocean and swallowed. "There's always been one person standing between us the entire time we've been together. One person who prevented her from being in as deep as I am. One person who right now is actually better for her than me."

"Randy Orton."

"Yeah, Randy fucking Orton." Dave snarled the name. "He's pissed me off in the past, but he was still my Evolution family deep down. Until her. I hated his guts when I fell in love with her. Because all he had to do was make the right move and she would have broken me and chosen him."

"He didn't make the right move, David." Angie reminded him with a glare. "And she chose you and you broke her instead."

"It's for the best." Dave said stubbornly. "You'll see."

"No. You'll see. She might wind up with Orton now, you never know." Angie shrugged. "And you're going to kick yourself in the ass knowing she would have been yours if you hadn't been such a fool."

* * *

"Aren't you freezing?"

Haley turned at the sound of that deep, familiar gravelly voice. "Randy."

Randy shook his head at her, standing outside in the snow with only her gym cover up. "You'll catch pneumonia you crazy woman." He shrugged out of his leather jacket and slipped it over her shoulders.

"Thanks." Haley snuggled into it and got a whiff of the sharp, spicy Drakkar Noir scent he prefered. "I wasn't paying much attention to the cold. I'd forgotten how much I missed Boston. I'm glad we're performing here this week. It's good to be home."

"So why don't you move back?" He suggested cautiously, not wanting to overstep his bounds.

"That's a good question." Haley chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "I loved that house we had in Ipswich. I would have kept it, even without him. It was my dream home."

"He's a classless asshole for selling it on you, like that. He should have given you the option to buy him out." Randy felt the familiar prickle of fury at Dave ripple beneath his skin. "Have you talked to the new owners? Maybe they're unhappy and would be willing to sell it."

"Not unless I come up with substantially more than what Dave and I bought it for." Haley shook her head. "I just don't have those kinds of funds on my own, and no, I wouldn't ask Hunter and Dwayne for help on something like that. Not when there are other houses in my price range. I'll just have to find something else."

"That really sucks, Hales." He told her somberly.

"Yeah," She sighed, the air she released a white, misty vapor in front of her face. "It really does. But like they say, no use in crying over spilt milk. It's done."

"We should get you inside." He suggested when her body began to tremor from the cold, despite his jacket. "You'll catch a nasty cold or your death if you stay outside any longer."

"You make a good point." Her teeth chattered just slightly and she fell in step beside him to walk back to their hotel. "Thank you for the jacket again."

"I'll get sick slower since I'm dressed for the weather, not the gym." He joked. "But you're more than welcome. Though it makes you look tiny."

"Well you're a lot bigger than I am." She laughed. "No more skinny jokes."

"No actually on that front you look a lot better." He assured her, shoving his hands the pockets of his jeans to keep from reaching for her and tucking her into his body heat. "You've put some of your weight back on and it's toned into muscle. You look good, Hales."

"Thanks." She smiled at the compliment. "I'm working on it. You can actually thank Kennedy for that. He's had me on a strict diet and then of course, Hunter and Dwayne have my workout routine on lock."

"You have a lot of good people in your life." Randy nodded in agreement. "They love you and want to take care of you. I can't worry about you as much because I know they're taking care of you."

"Why would you worry about me?" She looked up at him curiously. "I mean I know you're trying to make amends, but we're not exactly close anymore."

"I thought that was obvious." Randy chuckled. "You know how they say there's a thin line between love and hate? I jumped that line in my insanity last year. I've jumped back."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I don't hate you anymore Haley. I feel the exact opposite of hate. So yes, I worry about you. But I also know you have all those people looking out for you." Randy explained. "I'm hoping one day I can really be one of those people again. When you're ready of course."

"I don't know what to say." She admitted nervously.

"You don't have to say anything." He opened the door for her that lead into the lobby. "This is me, being honest. That doesn't require a response from you. Keep the jacket until you're changed into proper clothes." He told her once they were inside. "I'll get it back from you at the arena. See you."

"Bye Randy." Haley was left staring after him in bewilderment.

* * *

Randy entered his hotel room and set his keys and wallet on the end table beside the bed. He was pleased his friendship with Haley was getting on the right track. Sure, word backstage was that she was attending the Hall of Fame with John Morrison, and that grated, but he couldn't fault her. He still had a long way to go on his road to redemption.

But she'd giving him another step in the right direction tonight. All he wanted was for her to be happy again, and she'd inspired him with a way to do it.

He pulled his laptop from its travel case and booted it up. After a few minutes of searching through google, he found what he was looking for a reached for his cellphone to punch in the number he needed.

"Hi." He was pleased when his call was answered. "My name is Randy Orton, I was calling about a house you sold in Ipswich, Massachusetts back in November. I heard the owners might be interested in selling for the right price. I'm interested in perhaps making an offer…"

* * *

"I've got a surprise for you!" Kelly followed Haley into her hotel room around the same time Randy made his phone call. "Hey, who's jacket?"

Haley glanced down at Randy's leather jacket that dwarfed her slender frame. His scent still lingered on it and made her smile. "Oh, I was standing outside, freezing and well, Randy came back and lent it to me."

"Randy?" Kelly sounded surprised and a little amused as she set a garment bag down on Haley's bed. "How'd that go?"

"Like it's been lately." Haley shook her head and took his jacket off, carefully draping it over the back of the single chair in the room. "Civil and little awkward at times."

"Better than it was this time last year." Kelly began to unzip the bag. "I think you two will work out the awkwardness in time. So I went shopping today and I stumbled upon not only my Hall of Fame dress, but I found yours too."

"Mine?" Haley turned to face her friend in surprise.

"Yours." Kelly nodded, grinning as she began to pull it from the bag. "It screamed Haley as soon as I saw, so I got it for you. We can always return it if I'm wrong. But I know I'm not wrong. This is perfect for you and you're going to just die when you see it."

The dress looked like a living flame. That was Haley's first thought. It would be like wearing fire.

The skirt was full, touching the floor in the back, but ascended to hit above her knees in the front. It's color was a deep orangey-red at the bottom that lightened to pinkish gold at the bodice. The bodice itself had a sweetheart neckline and hugged the torso. Starting from her hips from her bust was a phoenix made of rhinestones, captured in rising flight.

"Wow." Haley gaped at it, completely stunned. "It's beautiful."

"You're rising from the ashes of your old life, Hales." Kelly beamed, looking pleased with herself. "You're a phoenix and this dress was made for you."

"I love it." Haley admitted, wonder still in her eyes.

"Good!" Kelly pushed it into her arms. "Now go try it on!"


	25. Angel With a Shotgun

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Angel With a Shotgun**

"_They say before you start a war. You better know what you're fighting for. Well baby you are all that I adore. If love is what you need, a soldier I will be." - The Cab_

"Match cards." Kelly entered the women's locker room cautiously and slowly handed Haley a copy. "We could probably lodge a complaint and get this changed if you have a problem with it."

"Problem? Why would I have a problem with a match card?" Haley took the match card from Kelly and read through the show's line up.

_Match Three: Ted Dibiase Jr., Cody Rhodes and Maryse versus Randy Orton, John Morrison and Haley Mariano_

"All kinds of awkward right?" Kelly grimaced, studying her friend's face closely for her reaction. "We should lodge a complaint. Steph could totally change it for you."

"No." Haley shook her head, completely stunned by the fact that she was teaming with Randy again for the first time in nearly two years. "We're grown ups. I can handle this. Besides, Randy and I are on, well weird but good terms right now, we can get through this match."

"Are you sure? I mean I know you two are talking and quasi-friends again? But you're being thrown together on TV now and working together will bring you around him more and you've been through so much that-"

"Kel," Haley chuckled. "A tag match with Randy is not going to traumatize me. Besides, I need to put a good show on against Maryse so I look like a serious contender for the Women's Championship. Taking on the Diva's Champion and doing well, that will put me in the running again. And, facts are, Randy and I as a team, undefeated."

"Well if you're sure." Kelly smiled in relief. "Kick some ass, Girlie!"

"Oh I plan to." Haley grinned turning towards her locker. "I better get changed and warmed up. We're on early."

* * *

"Look Rock," Dave sneered at the People's Champion when he had the nerve to interrupt his opening promo on Raw. "You do not want to start something with me you won't be able to finish. Because I will break you in half!"

"Yes he will!" Layla nodded in agreement, standing safely behind Dave. "He'll put you on the shelf Rock, you better walk away!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." The Rock's charismatic grin flashed and the crowd chanted his name. "Let me get this straight. You," He choked on a laugh. "You think you're going to break me in half."

"I know I will!" Dave fought the urge to grind his teeth.

"That's funny." The Rock chuckled. "You, who got his candyass kicked by the Mexican Jumping Bean a month ago think you're going to break me, The Great One, in half. It's quite comical."

Dave Batista looked anything but amused as the Rock continued to laugh.

"You, who was stupid enough to leave the most electrifying woman in sports entertainment," The Rock smirked, internally pleased at linking one of his own monikers to Haley. "For this two bit hussy, think you're going to put the People's Champion on the shelf?"

"I'll end your career!" Dave threatened, clearly growing more furious by the minute with the Rock's insulting comments. "Do you know what follows when the Animal is finally let out of it's cage, Rock?"

"Yeah, you're the big bad animal. Punishment unleashed and all." The Rock stopped laughing and tossed his sunglasses aside, revealing his true intense look. "Guess what Jabroni, the Brahma Bull is more than ready to put the horns to the little bitch you really are!"

The crowd roared it's approval.

"It's game, set and match, Big Dave." The Rock smirked again. "You see you might have a shot to win a title at Elimination Chamber, and I hope you do, because then the match that's been set for Wrestlemania, The Rock versus Batista, will be a title match. So not only will the Rock kick your candyass and make you look like the biggest Jabroni to ever walk the face of the earth, he's going to take the title on the grandest stage of them all!"

* * *

"Wow." John Morrison whistled in approval when Haley headed towards the gorilla position looking phenomenal in her red and black wrestling attire. "You look like you're ready to rock and roll."

"I am." She grinned at him appreciatively. "You look sparkly."

He glanced down at his silver sequined tights and trenchcoat and laughed. "Too much? Because I've got these too." He pulled a pair of sunglasses out of the coat pocket that were decorated with rhinestone crosses on the lens.

"You somehow manage to pull it off." She assured him, trying not to laugh. Not since her days as Jericho's valet had she worked with a straight guy who wore more glitter than she did. "Randy's not here yet?"

"I haven't seen him." John shook his head. "Unless he's already in the Gorilla position. You cool with us teaming with him?"

"Yes actually." Haley nodded. "I need to put on a good performance against Maryse tonight so that I can be taken seriously as an opponent for Layla. Randy and I have always done good work together. I don't expect that to change. We're all adults and can do this professionally."

"Plus we're still undefeated as team."

Haley turned and smiled at the sound of Randy's voice. "Also a valid point."

"Morrison." The Viper gave him a curt nod in greeting then turned his attention to Haley. "You want a good shot at Maryse, we'll make sure you get it. I'm glad you're finally going to take back what's yours."

"They've taken enough from me." Haley nodded in agreement. "They won't take my career."

"Well then," John shifted closer to Haley, a territorial move that Randy didn't miss. "Let's get this taken care of."

* * *

"_I'm an angel with a shotgun, fighting til the war's won. I don't care if heaven won't take me back. I'd throw away my faith Babe, just to keep you safe. Don't you know you're everything I have. And I want to live, not just survive. Tonight." - The Cab_

"Haley, down!"

Haley instinctively ducked at Randy's warning shout and narrowly missed a clothesline from Ted, who had jumped the ropes and tried to attack her from behind.

"You ruined everything you bitch!" Ted roared, spinning to come at her a second time, but Randy was on him like a rabid dog before the cursed insult finished leaving his mouth.

"Hales, tag!" Morrison strained against the ropes, holding his palm out while keeping his eyes on Cody, who hadn't intervened yet on his partners behalf.

"Damn it." Leaving Maryse crawling towards her own corner, Haley stalked over to tag him in. "You owe me another shot at her."

"You'll get it." John hastily came through the rope, his attention already on Cody. "Let Orton and I take care of these douchebags first!"

"Fine." Haley huffed her agreement and stepped out of the ring.

"You okay?" Forced back to their corner by the referee, Randy rejoined her in their side of the apron while John and Cody locked up.

"Yeah, thanks for the warning." Haley nodded, her eyes following the two men grappling in the ring. "Damn, it I barely had time in there with her!"

"I'll get you back in there." Randy promised, his breath slightly labored from his brawl with Ted. "I'm going to punt that idiot again for coming at you like that."

"He didn't touch me thanks to you." Haley reminded him. "Save your anger for when you really need it. To be honest, he's more of a bitch than I am."

Randy chuckled at her comment. "Very true. And I'd wager you could probably take him."

Haley laughed. "I don't know if I'd want to find that out to be honest. He's all yours. Come on, John!" She urged when Cody got some offense in.

"It's nice." Randy said suddenly, smiling. "Working with you like this again. I missed it."

"I'm probably going to regret saying this." Haley shook her head, baffled amusement on her face. "But me too. Whenever we've teamed, we've always had this flow, some natural teamwork and had each other's backs."

"From now on," Randy's eyes followed the two competitors closely. "Always will."

A reluctant smile tugged at Haley's lips.

"Come on Morrison, take him down!" Randy yelled.

"That's the way!" Haley cheered when Morrison did just that, reversing Cody's next move and slamming him into the canvas.

"You want him?" John asked Randy as an RKO chant progressively grew louder throughout the arena.

Randy's answering grin was practically reptilian and he held out his hand for the tag in response.

"All yours." John gave Randy the tag and took his spot beside Haley when Randy entered the ring. "You good?" He asked Haley.

"Great." She grinned. "We're kicking ass."

"Yeah." He had to agree, being on the same team as Randy for a change was a welcome one. Neither of his former teammates were in the Viper's league and it made Haley and John's job easier with him dismantling Cody's offense as if he were a mere rookie again. "Ouch." He winced as Cody hit the canvas off one of Randy's scoop slams. "That had to hurt."

"Ready?" Haley leaned forward in anticipation. "Series of three standing dropkicks and go!"

As she predicted, Randy continued to take Cody out with a three in a row set of standing dropkicks. It was enough to take the wind out of his opponent and decrease his moral being knocked off his feet every time he got back up.

"How did you-"

"Randy and I have worked together a lot in the past." Haley reminded him. "We know each other's styles. When he's done stomping Cody's joints he's going for a springboard DDT. You," She glanced at John. "Might want to take care of Ted."

"What?" True to Haley's word, Dibiase was through standing by and shoved by the referee to intervene.

"Got it!" John used the ropes to flatten him with a springboard crossbody and the two men rolled outside the ring, raining punches upon each other.

An RKO chant rose from the crowd again, but Randy instead of setting Cody up for his patented springboard DDT kicked him the rest of the way out of the ring.

"You ready for your shot?" He grinned, turning to face Haley. Maryse could be heard shrieking in the background, protesting the entire match and the direction it was heading in.

Touched that he remembered and wasn't content to steal the show, Haley held out her palm for the tag. "I am more than ready!"

"Finish it then." He crossed to her and gently tagged her hand, squeezing it briefly after. "All yours, Babe."

"Tag! You're in Maryse!" Mike Chioda ordered the current Diva's Champion into the ring when Haley stepped through the ropes. She wasn't lying when she told Randy she was more than ready to cap this match off.

Maryse looked thoroughly frustrated as she stepped through the ropes. Her partners were getting their asses handed to them and one of the last people she felt like facing off with was Haley Mariano when she was in her prime, which she looked to be. Figuring her best bet was to get Haley down and quickly, she charged.

To Haley, it seemed like Maryse came at her in slow motion. Her knees bent instinctively as she dropped her shoulders in order to lift her at the midsection and spin her in a thundering spinebuster.

"Ah!" Cody's muffled yelp to her right showed that the young superstar had tried to get back into the ring but received a RKO for his trouble.

Randy got back to his feet and nodded to Haley. "You know what to do."

Haley grinned and made her way to the ropes stepping outside them in preparation for her springboard diamond dust, her finisher, No Boundaries. And when Maryse staggered to her feet, she nailed it.

"One...two...three!" Mike dropped to the mat to count when Haley made the cover.

"Here are your winners! Haley Mariano, John Morrison and Randy Orton!" Lilian Garcia announced once the bell was called for.

Haley got back to her feet, a beaming smile on her face. She had won that match on her own merit, with her skills up to par. Hunter and Dwayne would be proud.

"Yeah Haley!" John swept her up in a congratulatory hug. "You kicked ass!"

She laughed and returned his hug, her eyes finding Randy's over his shoulder. "Thanks John."

Randy smiled at her, pride on his face. And despite the internal warnings and the lectures she'd probably received for it later, when John released her, she crossed the distance between them to hug him too.

"We still got it." She said, referring to their team work. "Thanks for letting me score the pinfall."

He hugged her back tightly. "Anything for you, Haley."

* * *

**Hey All! First off, I want to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate it. **

**I am on my way home to Boston for the Holiday so hopefully between tomorrow and Friday I can punch out another chapter. After that you'll have to wait until December as I am in the process of moving out of Delaware and back to Florida for the winter for my job (and my Batista stalking, not that I get paid for that :P). **


	26. Let It Go

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Let It Go **

"_So come on let it go. Just let it be. Why don't you be you? And I'll be me. Everything's that broke, leave it to the breeze. Why don't you be you? And I'll be me." - James Bay_

At the Scottstrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri, on February 21, 2010, WWE personnel and superstars prepared for the first ever Elimination Chamber pay-per-view after it had previously been named No Way Out. In the Diva's locker room, Michelle McCool was not a happy camper and she was making her feelings well known.

"I'm not teaming up with you, you homewrecking bitch!" Michelle snapped waspishly. "I don't give a flying fuck what the match card says. Teddy Long can go ahead and fire me too, I'm sure Stephanie will give me a job on Raw or Tiffany can take my contract to ECW."

"Don't you think you're being a little dramatic, McCool." Layla rolled her eyes. "It's just a match." She cast a sideways glance at Haley. "Besides, it's not like I stole _your_ man."

Haley snorted. "You're welcome to him, Layla. If he could be stolen, he was never my man to begin with. I don't need the disloyalty anyway." She shot Michelle a reassuring smile. "Don't bow out on my account, 'Chelle. Layla desperately needs your help if SmackDown wants any kind of shot against both Maryse and Gail Kim."

Gail Kim chuckled. "Haley has a point, without you, Layla would get her ass handed to her and humiliate SmackDown."

"Fuck you!" Layla shrieked. "I'm the Women's Champion!"

"A title you won by sleeping with someone." Even Maryse shot Layla an unimpressed look. "Michelle may be an imbecile, but she's the only hope your team would have."

Haley bit her lip to keep the pleased grin off her face. She may have lost her fiance, her home and her title, but Layla had gained Dave and lost what little respect she had in the locker room. She supposed that was a fair trade.

"So if you bailed," Haley told Michelle. "I'm pretty sure Teddy would be firing Layla for the embarrassment."

"At least I have a match tonight!"

Haley rolled her eyes. "Because of that belt you stole. You don't have the title, you're not worth the match. Just go out there and give Maryse and Gail Kim some competition. I'll deal with Layla come Wrestlemania."

"You wish!"

"I cannot wait for that." Michelle sighed. "All right Hales, I'll do it. But if she get's in my way-"

"Give her a Faithbreaker and continue on your own. It's already going to be a handicap match anyway." Haley shrugged, getting to her feet. "I'll catch you girls later. I've got to check in with Hunter."

"Yes, yes go run along to Daddy now." Layla made a shooing motion. "He's the only reason you're still employed anyway."

Haley casually flipped her the bird and headed for the door. "If you actually believe that you're dumber than I thought. Later Ladies."

"Bye Hales!"

* * *

"We need to have a chat, you and I."

Randy grunted as he was shoved none too gently into one of the dead end hallways and found himself looking into the ice cold blue eyes of his former mentor. "What could we possibly have to talk about?"

"You're a lot of things, Orton," Hunter's mouth was set in a grim line. "But you're not stupid. You know there's only one thing we could possibly have to talk about at this point."

Randy sighed and met the challenge in the cerebral assassin's gaze. "Haley."

"See? Not stupid." Hunter gave a short nod. "If you are trying some sort of mind game to screw her over again, I will murder you Orton. Our battles before will look like kids play compared to what I'd do to you this time around. She was nearly broken and I'm finally getting her back, I will not let you fuck that up. I will destroy you before that ever happens again."

"Who do you think has been helping get her back, Hunter?" Randy glared back at him. "You think I'm happy that fucking Dave Batista came so close to crushing her spirit? Like it or not, that crazy, sick bastard that I was last year is gone. And because you're married to Steph, you've seen my medical charts and you know why. You know the medications I'm on and about the therapies and all that shit. The only thing I'm doing for Haley is offering her support. If I wanted to hurt her again I would have. It would have been all too easy this time around."

Hunter eased back a step. "So you really are on anti-psychotics? And going to therapy and anger-management. I thought that was a crock of shit. No way your ego would allow that."

"Family intervention. I had no choice." He replied hotly. "And it's actually helping. I'm not pissed off all the time, I can think clearly. So no violent urges. I know I was a sick fuck last year, but I'm trying to make amends for that. Especially for Haley because I hurt her the worst."

"I don't think you even deserve to breath the same air she does." Hunter retorted. "But if what you're saying is true, and it has to be if you're actually admitting to it, then it's not my call to make. But you better have a care with her, Orton. I'm serious when I say our war will look like child's play compared to what I'll do to you this time around. Do not hurt her."

"She's safer with me these days than anyone else on this roster, believe it or not. You know that no one loves her more than I do, and that scares the shit out of you." Randy expression was deadly serious. "Scared the shit out of me too, but I've accepted it. She doesn't have to love me, but it doesn't change what I feel for her. She's it for me, Hunter and when I'm of sound mind, I would never hurt her. In fact, in the case of Legacy now, _I'm _the one protecting her. Like it or not, I'm back Hunter and I'm not going anywhere this time. She's got me, now and always."

* * *

"Ouch!" Haley stumbled back a step after colliding with hard body on her way out of catering. For the life of her, she couldn't find Hunter anywhere and she had been about to check his locker room again when she bumped into the last person she wanted to see.

Despite himself, Dave gripped her arm to steady her, an instinct that made him grimace and release her immediately once she was sure on both feet. "You should watch where you're going."

"This is weirdly deja-vu." Haley muttered, remembering she had literally run into Dave when they first met. "Though you walked into me this time, it should be you watching where you're going."

"I don't have to watch where I'm going." He let his voice drop to a deep growl. "You should just stay out of my way if you know what's good for you."

"Or what, Dave?" She sighed. "What could you possibly do you me now that's worse than what you've already done? I haven't been feeling like myself enough to say this to you before, but you are the most selfish, arrogant, senseless prick I've ever met and I cannot believe I loved you enough to want to marry you, blind to this version of you. Now my eyes are open and I can see you and Layla clearly deserve each other."

"Kitten has claws." Dave sneered. "You're not fooling anyone Haley, you're just mad because I found someone better than you, and it's your ego that can't stand it."

"What? Because she's two cup sizes bigger than I am and has a Latina booty? She may have those things, and if you're shallow enough to need that over what I gave you, then you never deserved me." She shook her head. "I loved you with everything I possibly had to give and it wasn't enough. So it's really you who wasn't enough to be able to accept it."

"You've loved me with everything you had?" Dave snorted sarcastically. "You've never been a liar, Haley so let's not start now. That's bullshit and you know it. There was always three people in this relationship. It was never just about you and me. And the way he's sniffing around now just proves it. You might as well just open yourself to Orton now because I won't have you again. I mean, how difficult could it be? You opened your legs for him already."

"You Son of a-" Haley's gasp of outrage was cut short as the man currently under discussion threw Dave up against the wall.

"Fuck you, Dave." Randy's expression was lethal.

To Haley's further surprise, Hunter joined them, not intervening but moving to stand beside Haley to watch his two former prodigies instead.

"What? Haley didn't keep it a secret, Orton? She told me you fucked her that one time after she and Cena broke up." Dave shoved Randy off him.

"I didn't _fuck_ her, Dave." Randy corrected him. "She's the only woman I've never just fucked. What we've always shared has been so much more. And that particular night, that was magical, spiritual. It was almost holy and you know it, you fucking asshole. That's why you hated me. I was the biggest threat to your happiness and you didn't win Haley over, I sabotaged it on my own stupidity."

Despite her previous outrage, Haley couldn't help but feel touched by Randy's feelings about that one particular night. One she had chalked up to as a reckless mistake on her part, no matter how wonderful the moment had actually been.

"You were never enough for her, which was why you could never truly accept what she gave you. Because you were always so threatened by me. And you were right to be, if I hadn't fucked up so poorly in the beginning, you wouldn't have stood a damn chance." Randy continued. "And I'm not going to let you try to hurt her with your petty insults because you can't handle that particular truth. And you are definitely not going to use me to hurt her anymore. Because I'm the one who's always loved her more than you. I just didn't know how to handle it before. I do now."

"He really is back, isn't he?" Hunter grudgingly admitted. "He's human again and we all know you're the only thing that made him so."

"I told you." Haley breathed.

"Stay the fuck away from her, Dave." Randy said, paying no attention to anyone but the man in front of him. "Or you won't have to worry about Dwayne. I'll end your career right now and won't even bat an eye."

"And I'd actually help him do it." Hunter spoke up, much to the shock of the other three. "Haley's off limits, Dave. So help me God, I will help Orton dismantle you if you look at her the wrong way."

"Fuck you." Dave snapped, ready to retreat knowing he was no match for both Randy and Triple H. "Fuck all of you."

* * *

"Well," Shawn Michaels jabbed Dwayne in the ribs as they watched Dave storm away from Randy, Hunter and Haley. "Look at that. We didn't even have to get involved. Looks like the old Orton is back in play."

"He's been back for months now." Dwayne smiled wistfully. While he would have gone over and told Dave off himself, or beaten him off for upsetting Haley, it had jolted him to see Randy take care it. It had nothing to do with Randy's ego, but Haley's honor. Dwayne could always appreciate someone standing for her.

"That doesn't piss you off. Cause I'm pretty sure everything about that guy pisses Hunter off, especially if he's anywhere near Haley." Shawn commented. "Kind of surprised he's not pummeling Orton now that Batista walked away."

"Haley wouldn't thank him for it. And besides Steph, she's the only one that man listens to." Dwayne reminded him. "And even Hunter can appreciate Randy defending her honor."

"He'd never admit." Shawn said with a grin.

"Of course not." Dwayne chuckled. "He'd tell Orton to fuck off and that he would have handled it. It's how he is."

"You know how this business goes, Johnson." Shawn laughed himself. "You don't get anywhere without a cocky attitude, an inflated ego and some selfishness. Hunter embodies all those traits. Heck, even I can figure out how Haley won him over completely, and you know I think she's a great girl. But a lot of great girls come through this company and don't wrap Hunter around their finger. I don't think even Steph has him that wrapped."

"Papa Bear and his cub." Dwayne told him. "And no one was more surprised than I was when Haley told me Hunter had not only taken over her training but under his wing as well. My own ego had that information piss me off a little but looking at it now, I was also stunned Hunter would care enough about a rookie Diva to even help train her."

"Well, whatever it was. It should keep Randy in line this time around. His own feelings and the knowledge that Hunter will go to any lengths to protect her should prevent anything like last year's horror show to play out again. I hope anyway." Shawn smirked as he watched his oldest friend reluctantly walk away from Haley and Randy to head in their direction.

"You and me both, Michaels, you and me both."

* * *

"You really didn't have to do that, you know."

"Of course I did." Randy still looked livid from Batista's words. "He was trying to tarnish what you and I shared, use it to hurt you. Fuck that."

"Randy," Haley shifted uncomfortably. "He kind of had a point. It was a one night thing and-"

"I don't care if it was one night or that you only slept with me because you were in a bad mental place at the time." Randy cut her off. "It wasn't nothing. It wasn't meaningless. And it wasn't just sex. Not for me anyway. I meant what I said Haley, that night changed everything for me. It really was almost holy."

She blushed. "Randy-"

"Haley," Randy shook his head. "I may have gone about it in all the wrong ways, but I loved you then. I always have. He can't make that night mean nothing because it never will. Nothing that's ever happened between us means nothing because we have always meant something to one another. Even during that bad period last year when we hated each other. We will never be nothing to one another and no one will get to use me to hurt you. I won't stand for that."

"Randy," Haley sighed. "I never thought we were nothing to one another. Even when we were hurting each other. Truth is words wouldn't hurt coming from someone who meant nothing. I know we shared something deep and real. And while that night may have been a mistake, that Dave was right about, the timing was bad for both of us. I never thought it meant nothing. You can't go through what we've gone through together without mattering to each other."

"You don't know how relieved I am to hear to you say that, to know you know it." Randy said quietly. "You're always going to matter to me Haley. I love you more than I love anyone, it's why I could hate you just as fiercely in my rage last year. You matter Haley, always have and to hear someone try to make it seem like you didn't...it pissed me off. I'm glad you were smart enough not to believe him. I need to go warm up. But I'll see you later." He gave her one last smile before turning to head back the way he'd come.

"Wait," Haley called after him, but he was already out of earshot. "He didn't say loved," She murmured to herself. "He said love."


	27. Sail

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Sail **

"_This is how I show my love. I made it in my mind because I blame it on my ADD. This is how an angel dies. I blame it on my own supply. I blame it on my ADD, Baby. Sail." - Awolnation_

"Seriously Hunter," Haley couldn't help but laugh as she followed him towards the entrance of Harrisburg Mall. "Why are you bringing me to the mall? Are we going shopping instead of training? Because I'm pretty sure you can't keep up with me in that regard."

Hunter smirked. "Punkin, I wouldn't even try in that regard. And no, we're not here to go shopping." He pulled open the door and held it for her. "I've taught you a lot of things over the past two years. But as similar as we are, I am a brawler and you are a showman in terms of technique."

"I still don't get what any of that has to do with a mall?" She shook her head in bewilderment. "Unless it's to perfect the art of window or speed shopping."

"Neither. We need to amp up your style. You might be a showman, but in that ring, I want to make you a lethal one. Enough so that no one would ever try to rob you of a title ever again." He started heading in a specific direction leaving her no choice but to follow. "And who better to help me make you lethal, than WWE's former Lethal Weapon."

He gestured ahead where one of the venues broadcasted a simple sign that read "Steve Blackman's School of MMA".

Haley paused and gaped at Hunter in surprise. "No way?"

"Way." Hunter grinned. "Now it's time for some boxing lessons, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai and even Tai Chi. When you hit the ring at Wrestlemania Haley, and I truly believe you will. You're going to have evolved even from the phenomenal Diva you were last year. You are going to be epic."

Haley couldn't help but smile. "With you and Dwayne in my corner, how could I not be?"

"And now we can add Steve to your list of trainers too." Hunter led her inside a gym with over 2000 square feet of mats, a weight room and an octagon set up for sparring. "Blackman." He called out in greeting.

"Hunter." The man who emerged from the weight room looked as though he hadn't aged a day since his days as a WWE Superstar in the late 90s and early 2000s. He was still trim with his black hair regimentally cut short, as was his beard. "It's a been a long time."

The two men shook hands and then proceeded to share manly hug. "Good to see you, Man." Hunter gave him another clap on the back. "Thanks for seeing us on such short notice."

"Hey, we were having a slow night anyway. Besides, I don't do as much one on one teaching as I'd like to anymore. Too much paperwork and promoting these days." He looked over Hunter's shoulder to give Haley a visual appraisal. "This your girl? Little young for you, don't you think?"

Haley wrinkled her nose at the insinuation.

Hunter merely chuckled. "It's nothing like that. I'm back with Steph. Haley's like a daughter to me and like I told you on the phone, I'm trying to make her the best Diva that I can."

"Well," Steve stepped around Hunter and offered her a hand. "It's nice to meet you, Haley. You must be something special for Hunter to take an interest in you."

"I like to think so." Haley shook his hand and gave him a friendly smile. "It's really nice to meet you, Mr. Blackman, I enjoyed watching you in the WWE especially those matches you had with Ken Shamrock."

"Girl knows her stuff." Steve grinned in approval. "Well, Hunter would like you to learn some of what Ken and I specialize in. How does that sound to you?"

"Great." Haley nodded. "I'm up for anything to give me an edge in the ring."

"This will definitely do that."

* * *

"Hello Randy." Dr. Joy Kane ushered him inside her office, the same office he'd been visiting once a week for just over eight months now. The only difference this time was that another man also waited for his arrival in the room. Dr. Thomas Gleeson, who had referred Randy to Dr. Kane upon his family's intervention.

Today was Randy's psyche evaluation, where both psychiatrists would check his progress and possibly adjust his medication accordingly. Randy couldn't wait to get this over with and go home.

"Dr. Kane." He gave Gleeson a curt nod in greeting and took his preferred seat on the leather sectional near the center of the room.

Dr. Kane took a seat on the couch and Dr. Gleeson opted to sit there as well on the opposite corner. "Dr. Gleeson has been monitoring our progress, Randy." She informed him. "We're going to have our session just like any other but at the end the three of us will discuss your mental state and how to proceed from here."

"Fine." Randy grunted.

"So," Dr. Kane took out her preferred notepad and pen and flipped to a fresh page. "I understand that Wrestlemania season is quite an exciting time for you. They're talking about some kind of match between you and your friends, Ted and Cody?"

"Former friends." Randy corrected. "It all depends on the outcome at Hell in a Cell, that's the last pay-per-view before Wrestlemania, but yeah, they're talking about a triple threat match for us since I broke up our group."

"Because of Haley, correct?"

Randy gave her a wry stare. "I didn't take kindly to her being harassed and disrespected supposedly on my behalf. So yeah, I ended our friendship basically because of her. And no, I don't regret it. Her friendship means more to me."

"So you're friends again?"

"Not exactly." He shook his head. "We're not actually spending time together outside work, but we're pretty civil, practically friendly with one another now. We're a work in progress."

"A work in progress to what exactly?"

"Whatever she's willing to give me." Randy shrugged. "I'm not stupid, Doc, I know I deserve far worse from her than how she's treating me now, especially after what I did. But, she's the love of my life and I want to keep trying to win her trust back, her friendship back. And maybe if I'm really lucky and she doesn't fall for this Morrison guy, I want to win her heart back."

"A few months ago," Dr. Kane reminded him. "You were adamant she wouldn't even speak to you again. Now you're wanting to fight for your romantic relationship again."

"It's the one thing that will truly make me happy. I can be content without her, I know that now. But I want her, always have. More, I want to make her happy. So yeah, I want to fight to get that back. Though I know it's going to be a long slow road." Randy settled more comfortably in the chair. "Right now I've been focusing on getting our friendship back, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to speed up the process a bit."

"You sound like you've been mulling over some ideas." Gleeson pointed out, steepling his fingers together. "And despite the mention of another man in her life, you don't appear to be envious."

"I'm envious." Randy admitted. "He's her date to the Hall of Fame, and a pretty constant companion. It's pretty obvious he's into her. How she feels I can't tell. But if I want to keep going forward with her, I can't afford to let my jealousy get the best of me. That's how I got in this whole mess in the first place. I have to be patient."

"That's very mature and wise of you, Randy." Dr. Kane smiled. "I think with Haley you're already on the right track. Consistency is key here, I believe. You two were close, then you flipped on her. She might just be looking to see if this good version of you is really here to stay before she lets you in again. My advice is to be patient and keep doing what you're doing. You're already making progress. Don't try to over do it and then set yourself back on this road. You're doing fine, Randy."

"I agree." Gleeson nodded. "You are a far cry from the man your parents first brought to me. Keep up the good work Mr. Orton."

* * *

"So?" Adam prompted later that evening when Randy joined him at a local bar for a beer. "How the psych eval go? They going to lock you up and throw away the key?"

"If I'm supposed to be locked up," Randy drawled, signalling the bartender to get his attention. "You better be in the padded cell beside me."

"Good point." Adam conceded with a nod and quick grin. "You made a joke, so it must have gone well."

Randy ordered a Michelob Ultra, passing his debit card over to begin a tab, before turning to his friend. "Apparently I'm doing really well, so I'm supposed to just keep up the good work, and the drugs of course. At the end I couldn't help but feel it was a waste of time."

"Well of course you're doing well, you've got your girl back to keep you level headed." Adam joked, jabbing his old teammate playfully in the ribs.

"Not exactly." Randy disagreed, taking a slow pull of his beer. "We're friends again, at least to me we are. But I think she's about to start dating Morrison."

"Morrison?" The man known in the WWE Universe as Edge looked thoroughly startled. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"He's been sniffing around her since she and Dave broke it off." Randy informed him. "And unlike me he doesn't have any baggage to bring to the table. They're spending a lot of time together and he's her date to the Hall of Fame."

"Well shit," Adam grumbled. "That puts a kink in your plans, doesn't it?"

"Kind of." Randy took another swallow of beer. "But, she needs to rebound doesn't she? Better she rebound with Morrison than me. If she and I go back down that road again, I don't want it to be a rebound, short term thing. I'm playing for keeps this time. When I win her heart, and I'm going to do my damnest to win it, I intend to keep it, forever."

* * *

"So?" Hunter passed Haley the mint chocolate chip ice cream cone and kept the strawberry frozen yogurt for himself. "John Morrison huh?"

"Heard about that, did you?" Haley took her first lick of ice cream and smiled appreciatively. "This hits the spot after the ringer Steve put me through."

"They don't call him the Lethal Weapon for kicks." The Game chuckled. "But back to my point, yes I heard you two are going to the Hall of Fame together. I didn't even know you were interested in dating again, Punkin."

"I don't know if I am." She admitted honestly. "But, I like John. He's attractive, and kind. He makes me laugh. He's been a good friend, and I like flirting with him. I kind of want to see what happens if we take that next step."

"So nothing serious." Hunter concluded.

"I don't know. I'm just starting to really move on from Dave, you know? I'm not ready to fall in love again so soon. Maybe in a couple months and if things go well with John, I could fall for him. But for right now, I just don't know what I feel besides interested." Haley sighed. "Baby steps right?"

"I'm the last person who would ever judge you." He reminded her. "I can't say I see you and Morrison in it for the long haul though. He's not really your type. Way too much the pretty boy and I bet he spends more time on his hair than you do."

"Shut up." Haley chuckled. "He wears more sparkles than I do too."

"He's a junior Jericho." Hunter rolled his eyes. "Yeah, he's definitely not going to last a lifetime with you. I know you, you want a guy a little more-"

"Manly." Haley deadpanned. "I know. But what if something different really takes? What if he is the love of my life and I'm too blind to see it yet."

"If he's the love of your life, I'll go out to the ring dressed in drag." Hunter said dryly. "Better, as Paris Hilton and wrestle Cena for a title."

"Very funny." She tried to sound sarcastic but wound up giggling. "Okay, you're probably right. He's not the love of my life. But he means something to me and I want to find out what that is."

"So go for it, Punkin." He encouraged. "You deserve some happiness after all this drama. If he puts a smile on your face he's good in my book."

"Thanks." She smiled up at him. "And thank for the new training today. I feel more empowered today than I was this morning."

"I want you empowered enough to kick some serious ass." Hunter smirked. "My girl is going be Champion again. I guarantee it."

* * *

"Three more months." Dave Batista sighed as he set down his current contract with the WWE. "My contract ends on May 20."

"I saw the renewal agreements on your desk while I cleaned out your office." His mother did not turn away from the kitchen sink, where she elbow deep in warm water and suds while washing dishes.

"I'm not resigning." Dave informed her, reaching for his previously untouched glass of red wine. "I've been in talks with several UFC talent scouts. I was serious when I talked about trying out some cage fighting. I want to try my hand at MMA."

"And does Layla know about your plans." Donna asked her son, finally looking over her shoulder at him. "She's already making all these summer plans for the two of you."

"Not yet." Dave shook his head. "I'm not really looking forward to the headache that comes with telling her."

"Don't lead her on, Dave." She said in her best reprimanding tone. "I may not care much for the girl, but she doesn't deserve to be blindsided by this. Unlike your previous girlfriend, your career moves directly affect her as well. She can't stand on her own as well as Haley."

"Layla's not really my concern, Mom. I'm not in love with her." He pointed out. "She'll sink or swim, just as she would have before I hooked up with her. She doesn't love me either. We're using each other."

"That's really sad, and cold." Donna turned back to the sink. "I can't help but worry what's in store for your future, especially without Haley in it. I don't want you to go back to sleeping around just because you're too shut off to fall in love."

"I'm going to be just fine, Mom." Dave resisted the urge to groan. "You're going to have to trust that I know what I'm doing."

* * *

**A/N: Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I know this update is long overdue, but I got stuck on this damn chapter. I'm still not fully satisfied with it, but I want to move forward with the story so this will have to do. Thanks for being so patient! **


	28. Wildest Dreams

Chapter Twenty-seven: Wildest Dreams

"_Say you'll remember me, standing in a nice dress, staring at the sunset Babe. Red lips and rosy cheeks, say you'll see me again, even if it's just in your wildest dreams...oh oh." -Taylor Swift_

"This party is so boring." Jack Swagger sauntered up to lean against the bar beside Dave Batista. "Where's Lay at?"

Dave shrugged, not knowing or really caring about his girlfriend's whereabouts. His eyes had landed on his _former_ girlfriend, who had just arrived with Kelly Kelly, Evan Bourne and John Morrison. Haley's arm was linked through John's and she was smiling up at him while they checked their coats with the entrance attendant.

As Wrestlemania bore down on them, WWE Superstars and Divas were put through the ringer appearance wise. Interviews with news stations, radio stations, photo shoots for magazines, fan signings and promotional events filled the hours of the days. Shows and Charity events took up the evenings and nights.

Tonight, WWE was hosting a fundraiser in tandem with a Breast Cancer Research affiliation and all WWE talent had been _encouraged_ to attend. Dave thought about skipping for spite, but he couldn't do that to the Charity, despite the WWE sanctioning the title match between himself and the Rock at Wrestlemania.

He'd been hoping to kick Cena's ass instead. The Rock was a whole different ball game.

"Damn." Jack took a sip of his drink and smirked when he caught what Dave was looking at. "Mariano looks good tonight. Seems like some of that weight she lost is back. Her legs are killers in that dress."

Haley had filled in some of what she had lost following their break up. Her muscle tone was returning, which could been seen in her bare arms and legs. The dress she wore was white lace, sculpted at the bodice, with thin straps over her shoulders, and flared out at the waist to flirt with her thighs. Her hair was longer now, reaching her shoulder blades in beachy waves. Her make-up had been done in subtle, natural tones, making her appear young and fresh when compared to the other women in the room who were painstakingly made up.

"I don't know what the hell she sees in Morrison." Jack continued, unperturbed by Dave's lack of response. "I tried hitting on her a week ago and she brushed me off. How'd you manage to get into her pants? Is there some kind of trick?"

"Why would you want to?" Layla had rejoined them, catching the tail end of Jack's inquiry. "She looks juvenile, likes she's going to Spring Fling or whatever. Desperation really wreaks havoc on fashion sense." She adjusted the column of gold sequins she wore as a dress, her cleavage practically spilling out the top while the bottom barely reached her legs.

"I like a good challenge." Jack smirked at Layla. "Besides, what do you care if I bang her? Jealous?"

While Layla snapped back at him indignantly, though Jack had pretty much stated the truth, Dave ignored both of them. The people he surrounded himself with these days gave him a headache. This time last year, he'd been assessing the room and sharing a drink with Hunter and Shawn, soon Rey and Dwayne would wind up being included while their girlfriends/wives socialized and when the floor cleared to allow a little dancing, it would be Haley he'd been allowing to drag out onto the dance floor.

He missed it so much in that moment his heart ached in his chest. His own fault. And he looked at Haley again to remind himself why he was doing this. He was walking away for good, and he wasn't taking her with him. And he could see now she was getting stronger. She was happier.

She was currently throwing her arms around a very pregnant Candice Michelle and gushing over the baby. The former Diva glowed with impending motherhood and seemed to assess her best friend in a nurturing way, satisfied with Haley's appearance. There was genuine happiness of both women's faces and Dave knew that while Haley and Kelly were attached at the hip on the road, Candice would always be her go-to person and she missed having her around all the time. And Candice obviously felt the same, especially considering the scathing look she had given both Dave and Layla when they'd crossed paths earlier in the evening.

Suddenly Haley let out a sound that was a half laugh, half squeal as she ducked around Candice and rushed right into the arms of a good looking blonde man who approached the group beside Dwayne. It took Dave a moment to place him and realized he was an actor, the main one in the Fast and Furious franchise that Dwayne had just signed up to film. Paul Walker, also rumored to be Haley's first hook up since their break up.

From the way Paul's eyes lit up and the affectionate way he embraced her back, Dave ground his teeth as he realized they weren't just rumors. He could still read Haley like a book, and her body language indicated that she had been intimate with the handsome actor; the way her eyes took a subtle knowing glow, her smile was softer, more seductive, the way her fingers curled over his biceps to keep their bodies close following the hug. It was how she had always interacted with him after Haley and Dave finally consummated their relationship. No, Haley's tells confirmed that the rumors were true. She was beginning to rebound.

He forcibly reminded himself that this was what he wanted for Haley, and part of her happiness was moving on with a new man, whether it be Morrison, this Paul Walker guy or even,

Dave didn't even want to look across the room in Orton's direction. He just couldn't stomach the little shit right now.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Haley lowered herself back onto her feet and beamed a huge smile up at Paul.

"Dwayne's passed on Wrestlemania fever. It's pretty contagious." Paul slipped her hands in his and gave them a squeeze. "I was hoping I'd get to see you tonight when he asked if I wanted to tag along. I still feel bad about ducking out on you, and not being able to make the Hall of Fame. Still, Dwayne got the whole cast a box so we'll be there for the big show."

"They're coming to watch me win the title." Dwayne winked, glancing between the two of them with a steady smile. "I'll let you two chat so I can check on my Baby Mama. Be careful with my girl, Paul."

"No worries." Paul smiled at him. "I'll catch up."

"You really don't have to feel bad about that morning, you know." Haley assured him once Dwayne had joined Candice. "Or having to shoot your movie on the night of the Hall of Fame. I totally understand when duty calls."

"Well seeing how great you look tonight, I can't help but hate that I'll miss you even more glammed up for it." He gave her hands another gentle squeeze. "You did manage to find a date I can be envious of, right?"

"I did." She nodded, chuckling before using her head to gesture in John Morrison's direction, who seemed to be having some kind of debate with Evan and Kofi Kingston. "John over there asked me to go with him and he's been such a good friend recently, I feel comfortable going with him. He's a great guy."

"I'm glad." Paul glanced over at John then back down at Haley. "By the way, Dwayne pointed out his opponent for Wrestlemania, which he explained was your jack-off of an ex-fiance and I wanted to tell you, that guy is a total idiot and I hope his ass gets kicked."

"Thanks. I'm pretty confident Dwayne's got that taken care of." Haley gave him a tug towards her group of friends. "Come on, I'll introduce you to everybody."

* * *

"That's the guy from the Fast and Furious movies, right?" Adam Copeland frowned quizzically over to where Haley was introducing Paul to Kelly, Evan, John, Kofi and several others who had joined them.

"Yeah, Dwayne's in the next movie." Randy nodded, also frowning at the affectionate way Haley was interacting with him. It was as if they knew each other well already and Paul was treating Haley with the same affection she was showing him.

"He must have introduced them some other time because it certainly seems like they know each other." Adam concluded, taking a deep gulp of the whiskey in his glass. "At least she's not all over Morrison."

"She's never been all over Morrison." Randy reminded him. "They had their arms linked when they walked in. She does that with Hunter, Dwayne and even Kennedy when he was in a good mood. That doesn't mean anything."

"Still her date to the Hall of Fame."

"Shut it." Randy gave him a sideways glare. "She probably would have turned me down had I asked anyway. We aren't at that level yet."

"Well you're moving at a snail's pace here, Orton, it's boring." Adam rolled his eyes. "You could step up the game plan, make it a little more entertaining."

"Do you not have a life or something?" Randy asked his friend.

"I spend most of it pissing off Jericho and I'm between girlfriend's right now." Adam shrugged, signalling the bartender for a refill. "Your love life and Jay's have to entertain me. At least he's making more sexual progress on his."

"He and Tiffany don't have the baggage Haley and I do." Randy shook his head. "You really need to work on your patience. And maybe cut back on the whiskey some."

"Not my virtue. I don't have any virtue actually."

* * *

"Paul is so hot." Candice murmured to Haley once they had slipped into the Ladies room. "I'm kind of jealous you got to sleep with him." She half waddled her way to one of the stalls.

"As far as rebound sex goes, I could have done a hell of a lot worse." Haley agreed, checking her make-up in the mirror. "And he's so sweet. If our busy schedules and the long distance wouldn't make it such hell for a relationship, I might have considered making him not a rebound."

"Are you saying you're ready for a relationship then?"

"I don't know. I kind of decided I want to see what this thing is that's brewing between John and me." Haley told her while using the nail on her pinky to fix the smudge in her eyeliner. "I mean, it's not knocking me on my ass like it was with Dave, or this really hot, undeniable connection I have with with Randy, but there's something."

"Did you just say **_have_** with Randy?"

Haley sighed. "I don't think our connection is breakable. We keep doing this weird dance around each other. Hell, we're practically friends again. And if everything that happened last year didn't sever it, then why deny it. We might as well learn to coincide with each other in this little WWE world we live in."

Candice flushed and emerged from the stall, moving to the sink to wash her hands. "This baby is murder on my bladder." She muttered. "Just be careful Hales. I don't want to see you get hurt again."

"I'm being cautious. I promise."

* * *

"Dance floor is open." Evan announced, reaching for Kelly's hand. "Come on Babe, let's warm it up for everyone."

"See you guys out there." Kelly winked at their group and placed her hand in Evan's, allowing him to lead her to the dance floor.

"John's MIA?" Candice commented, noticing Morrison was nowhere in sight. "And Paul and Dwayne are talking shop again." She rolled her eyes at her fiance, who was engrossed in whatever work talk was being discussed. "Kofi, you might have to dance with a pregnant woman."

"I'd be honored." Ever the gentleman, Kofi Kingston offered his hand to Candice. "The Rock will probably cut in once he realizes I've stolen you."

"You've got a song or two before he figures it out." Candice laughed. "Haley, get a partner and get your butt on the dance floor."

"Yes Ma'am." But Candice was right, John had slipped away and Paul and Dwayne were too deep in conversation for her to interrupt. She would have to see if she could borrow Hunter from Stephanie.

Just as she turned to go locate her trainer slash mentor, she came face to face with Randy. "Whoa! Hi."

"Sorry." He apologized. "Didn't mean to startle you. You look great by the way."

"Thank you. You do too." Haley reached out and gently touched the sleeve of his blue dress shirt. "I've always liked you in blue."

His face morphed into a smile, a genuine one that was so rare to see that she always felt warm inside whenever she saw it. "Thanks Hales."

"Yo Randy," Adam Copeland clapped a hand to his friend's shoulder from behind, then noticed Haley. "Oops. Uh hi Haley."

"Hi Adam." Haley said with a polite smile, a little bewildered at his sudden appearance.

"Sorry to interrupt." The Rated R Superstar apologized. "But Jericho is causing me murderous thoughts and I wanted to make sure Orton had bail money."

Randy rolled his eyes in exasperation. "You hit the bar for whiskey again, didn't you?" He grimaced at Haley. "I told him to slow it down about twenty minutes ago, apparently he didn't listen."

"Maybe."

"Sorry Hales," Randy sighed in resignation. "I need to get some coffee into him, or we might be getting an Edge vs. Jericho preview."

"It would reek of awesomeness!"

"Go ahead." Haley laughed gesturing him off. "We can catch up later."

"Okay." Randy gave her one last smile, then grit his teeth and steered his friend away, muttering what suspiciously sounded like "fucking Adam" under his breath.

"HEY!" Dwayne exclaimed. "What's Kingston doing dancing with my woman?"

"Your job, but you were too busy with shop talk." Haley told him, trying not to laugh as he moved towards the dance floor with every intention of cutting in.

That left Haley alone with Paul who smiled at her in invitation. "Shall we?" He asked, referring to the dance floor.

"Sure." She slipped her hand into his and followed him, all the while she couldn't help but think this was turning into a night out of her wildest dreams.

* * *

**A/N: So, I couldn't resist bringing Paul back in for another boost in Haley's confidence, I mean they have a flirty little friendship now that's not even awkward after their one nighter. And Paul served to really stick it to Dave, who knew in theory Haley would eventually move on, but he wasn't actually ready to witness it. Well just wait Dave cause if you can't stomach Paul, when Haley and Randy FINALLY get their shit together you're really going to be sick. Because as hot as Morrison is and as much as Haley has with him, we all know there's NO staying power in that relationship, other reasons besides the obvious (Randy) will become clear in the upcoming chapters. **


	29. Photograph

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Photograph

"_Loving can hurt. Loving can hurt sometimes. But it's the only thing that I know. When it gets hard, you know it can get hard sometimes. But it's the only thing that makes us feel alive. We keep this love in a photograph. We made these memories for ourselves. Where our eyes are never closing, heart's forever open and time's forever frozen still." - Ed Sheeran_

He could see Haley in this house.

With its gleaming laurel hardwood floors on the first level and plush blue carpeting on the second; the high vaulted ceilings, French doors that led from room to room and the kitchen of stainless steel appliances, mahogany cabinets and granite counter tops. He could see her looking out the bay windows, soaking in sunlight on the deck of the in-ground pool, stringing fairy lights in preparation for the Holidays, parking her car in the three stall garage, laying out by the pool in the summer.

He'd never set foot here until today and he could see it so clearly; such a shame that it had been torn away from her.

"I'm afraid I was a little too optimistic about the commute." Michael Daly, the new owner of Haley's former home in Ipswich, Massachusetts, looked a bit sheepish as he and the realtor, Caroline Jenkins concluded Randy Orton's tour through the house.

"Is it that far from Boston?" Randy wondered. His own drive had been about forty minutes and that included leaving the mass confusion that was Logan Airport.

"If you catch the straight shot, no." Michael shook his head. "But I work a nine to five, prime traveling time. It can take me anywhere from an hour to two hours to get back and forth. I have kids to raise. I'm missing too much. We need to move closer to the city so I can be home at a decent hour."

"It's too bad really." Caroline added, running a hand through her swing of sunny blonde hair. "I sold this house to its previous owners. I thought they'd be in it for the long haul but unfortunately they split. I know he wanted to sell this house and quickly, but I remember showing it to them and she absolutely loved it. We tried to work out a deal with just her, but it sadly did not work out. It would have been an ideal situation for everyone."

Randy was well aware how much Haley loved this house and felt yet another urge to punch Dave in the mouth. "Well," He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans, appearing completely casual. "I'm very interested in it. Though there are some improvements I'd like to make." He looked at Michael. "You have this house listed at $515,000."

"It's a reasonable price for its location and condition." Caroline interjected, already sensing the price haggle to come. She was doomed to be disappointed by the ace Randy had up his sleeve. Or at least he hoped it was an ace.

"Still, because there's some landscape work to be done and renovations for me to make," Randy continued, still keeping his eyes on Michael. "I'm willing to pay you $485k."

"Now Mr. Orton," Caroline began, but Randy cut her off before she could get rolling through her seller's spiel.

"I did my research." Randy continued to speak to Michael. "You're a shrewd businessman and you know my offer gives you a profit on this house. You bought it in fast cash for $450k. My offer is also fast cash offer with a $35,000 dollar profit to you."

"That's private information. We haven't divulged," Caroline looked horrified at how he could know such a thing and was hastily backtracking to put the sale back in Daly's favor.

"I did my research." Randy repeated, not giving her a chance to regroup. "You can take my offer now, buy a new place and spend more time with your kids. Or you can wait until someone actually meets your asking price."

Michael sighed. He was indeed a smart businessman and it appeared Randy Orton was just as intelligent. He knew what cards to play and what spots to push. "You make a good point, and my wife already has a house picked out. I'm ready to dump this place. So, since I still make a profit, you've got yourself a deal." He held his hand out for a shake to seal it.

Randy clasped his hand and grinned, joy at doing this for Haley filling him. "Thank you."

* * *

_"We keep this love in a photograph. We make these memories for ourselves. Where our eyes are never closing, hearts are never broken, times forever frozen still. So you can keep me, inside the pocket of your ripped jeans. Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet. You won't ever be alone, wait for me to come home. And if you hurt me, that's okay baby only words. Inside these pages you just hold me. And I won't ever let you go. Wait for me to come home." - Ed Sheeran_

Haley spooned a helping of pasta salad onto her plate and moved down the buffet line to help herself to a portion of garden salad and the main course of chicken cordon bleu. Behind her, Dwayne Johnson's backyard was bustling with activity as close friends and family members congregated for the Baby shower, Haley with help from Dwayne and former Diva Torrie Wilson had thrown for Candice.

And it was turning out to be quite a success.

Candice had already opened her gifts, most going over graciously and with tons of enthusiasm, and some confusion on Dwayne's part, much to the amusement of the female guests. The caterers had served the food and now the majority of shower guests were eating and mingling with one another. There was a steady hum of cheerful chatter in the air, backgrounded by soft acoustic music coming from Dwayne's outdoor stereo system.

Indulging a little by filling a plastic cup with the raspberry moscato punch, Haley took her plate of food and retook her seat beside Ata Johnson 'nee Maivia, Dwayne's mother and little Simone Johnson, Dwayne's daughter and Haley's Godchild. Dwayne's first wife and still close friend, Dany Garcia was also in attendance, but she had excused herself for a bathroom break when Haley had finally gone up for food.

"Child, you eat like a bird." Ata tsked with a shake of her head. "What kind of portions are those? Young women these days, starve off all the curves. Don't you know men like meat on the bone?"

Simone giggled at her grandmother's candor and shoved a bite of chicken into her mouth to hide it off Haley's mock stern glance.

"I'm an athlete, Ata." Haley reminded her with a smile. "I'm on a strict diet. The pasta salad and chicken cordon bleu are not approved on the paleo kick I'm on."

Ata scoffed. "You're a rail, Haley, you don't need a diet."

"She did for a month or two. But it was a diet to fatten her up again." Dwayne dropped into Dany's abandoned seat, looking a little worn out from all the socializing. "That Ken guy got her weight back up though. And now he's got her on this protein based, paleo diet."

"Technically," Haley elbowed him in the ribs. "It's very similar to your diet. I just can't eat elephant sized portions like you can."

Simone let out another giggle. "Daddy ate two whole steaks by himself last night. And he ate all the green beans!"

"That doesn't surprise me at all." Haley said to Simone before smirking at Dwayne. "Protein and vegatables, see? You're paleo too."

"I ate pancakes this morning." Dwayne argued.

"Gluten free, protein based pancakes. They have all kinds of paleo pancake recipes." Haley snorted. "Just accept that you're on the same plan I am."

"I don't care about what you're eating." Ata pointed a stern finger at Haley. "You need to eat more or you'll waste away. You're young and already beautiful. You must not starve yourself."

"Don't worry, Mom." Dwayne assured her. "You know I take care of Haley. She's eating well. Let her be."

"I'm just going to eat my food now." Haley decided, spearing a bite of the chicken. "Shower's a success Dwayne. Candice looks so happy."

Dwayne looked over where his glowingly pregnant fiance posed for a photo with two of her closest friends, Torrie Wilson and Lilian Garcia. They were a trio that had dubbed themselves TLC whenever they spent time together.

"She's thrilled." Dwayne nodded in agreement. "Thank you for taking the time to put this together, Haley Baby. I know we've been swamped with Wrestlemania and you still managed to pull this off."

"Family always makes time for family." Ata reminded her son. "And Haley has been family since you took her under your wing. She did this for you as much as the woman you love."

"Very good point." Haley said after chewing and swallowing. "You both deserved this day. You're having a child together. It's something to celebrate. Plus we stocked you up on Baby supplies."

"And there will be a wedding in the future." Ata looked pleased. "I look forward to that as well. You've chosen well, Dwayne. Then," She smiled as Dany rejoined them. "You've always had wonderful taste in the female company you keep."

Dany smiled warmly at the praise, resting her palms on Simone's shoulders. "That would be your influence Ata. Dwayne only knows how to have strong, beautiful, capable women in his life."

Dwayne nodded in agreement. "Mom, Candice, Simone, Haley and Dany, you all mean the world to me and you know it." He bent down to give them all affectionate kisses on various parts of their faces, cheeks for his mother and first wife, forehead for Simone and crown of her hair on Haley. "Now, I better get back to my Bride, make sure she doesn't need anything."

They watched him return to Candice's side, drape his arm around her and join her conversation with Lilian and Torrie, before turning back to each other.

"I have to say," Haley said to Dany. "You are taking all this so well, and with so much class. I'm dying to know your secret. I can't seem to handle myself around Dave and Layla with the same composure."

Dany smiled. "Dwayne never set out to hurt me, Haley and he's still one of my best friends. We want each other to be happy and I'm so glad he's found his. I can't begrudge him that. Dave intentionally hurt you, that's a different story entirely."

"That man doesn't deserve you, or the pain you carry on his behalf." Ata shook her head in disgust. "He cast you aside because he's a fool. You deserve better and if I know my Dwayne, and I do, the next man will think with care for your heart, or my boy will see that he suffers, just as he will make that fool suffer at Wrestlemania. I look forward to watching him do it too. That Dave will rue the day he ever broke your heart, mark my words."

"I think we all are looking forward to Batista getting the beating he deserves." Dany agreed. "She's right, Haley. He's not worth anymore heartache on your part. You should be with someone who truly values how wonderful you are. That's real love."

"I'm in no rush to find it, just yet." Haley told them. "I just want to enjoy the now. Spending time with you and everyone else here. It's enough. I'm not carrying that much pain anymore, I promise."

"Punkin," A heavy hand fell on her shoulder and Haley looked up at Hunter who was smiling apologetically at Ata, Dany and Simone. "Excuse me Ladies, I need to borrow my girl for a minute."

"She was and will always be Dwayne's girl first," Ata reminded Hunter with narrowed eyes. "Have a care with her Triple H, she's family."

"Mine too." Hunter said.

Haley got to her feet. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Simone, don't eat all the cake." She teased.

"I won't!"

Haley followed Hunter up the wooden stairs onto Dwayne's deck where they had a little more privacy. "What's up?"

"Punkin," Hunter sighed heavily. "I was going to surprise you, but it's moot now. Dwayne and I well, we both know how much you loved that house in Ipswich. We decided about a week ago to buy it back for you when we found out that the owners were unhappy with it."

"What?" Haley gaped at him. "But Hunter they upped the price. I couldn't ask you guys to-"

"We know, that's why we wanted to surprise you. But someone else beat us to it. The house was sold this morning and even when we offered more money they wouldn't sell. A contract had already been signed." He looked rueful. "I'm sorry Punkin, we really wanted to get it back for you."

While a part of her heart broke, knowing she had lost that house forever, she moved in to hug him in order to assure him and show her gratitude. "It's not your fault. I love you both for even trying to get it back for me. It's very generous and you didn't have to. But thank you for trying anyway."

"We love you." He hugged her back tightly. "We wanted to see you happy again."

"I'm getting there. I promise."

**A/N: This chapter is shorter than I planned but it gets the points across which is more important. That Randy, really going above and beyond to make amends. Love him. **


	30. Look So Good

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Look So Good

"_Hey Boy I would have thought that, when you left me I'd feel broken with my confidence gone, so bummed. Hey Boy, I would have thought that when you said that you don't want I'd feel ugly and sense something was wrong. Standing in front of the mirror, my skin's never been clearer. My smile's never been brighter." - Jessie James_

The morning of the Hall of Fame, Haley and Kelly woke early and started their day with the continental breakfast provided by their hotel. There was excitement and good cheer between them as both were looking forward to the Hall of Fame itself and the greatest sports entertainment spectacle of the year that took place the following day, Wrestlemania.

"I'm so looking forward to our Spa day." Kelly said brightly as they stepped out of the hotel and headed towards Haley's rental car. "Mani, pedis and our hair done, we're going to look fantastic. Not to mention our amazing dresses."

"You've always had a good eye when it comes to clothes." Haley hit the unlock button on the keypad and climbed into the driver's seat. "Hey, you think John's getting his hair done too?" She joked. "It's almost as long as mine."

Kelly giggled appreciatively. "I doubt it. He wakes up with perfect hair, the bastard. I hate him for that alone."

"I don't hate him for it, but I admit to being a little bit jealous." Haley started the car and put it into drive before pulling out into traffic. "I'm actually feeling in the mood for another one of my hair changes. I've been auburn for awhile. And I feel like with the new direction I'm going in my life now, maybe my hair should change with it."

"You should go blonde." Kelly said immediately, looking intrigued by the idea. "Not like platinum blonde like Michelle and me, but like a golden honey blonde. It would really bring out your skin tone and make your eyes pop a bit."

"Blonde?" Haley spared her friend a quick look of surprise before refocusing on the road. She'd never thought of herself as a blonde before, never thought she could pull it off.

"Yeah blonde." Kelly seemed more serious about the idea. "Come on! It will totally be different and you'd look great! I mean I love your red hair, and the brunette when you first entered the company, but a honey blonde would look great on you! You should try it Hales, please?"

"Well, you did pick out a great dress for me, better than anything I could have picked for myself." Haley conceded. "Oh hell, why not? We can always change it back if it looks terrible."

Kelly let out a little squeal of excitement. "It won't! Trust me! You're going to look great, Hales. The guys aren't going to know what hit them!"

"Don't you mean John, he is my date tonight." Haley reminded her.

"Well yeah, him and I hope it sucker punches Dave right in the balls when he sees how phenomenal you look and we all know Randy will be checking you out tonight. So guys. It's going to be great!" Kelly grinned. "You'll see!"

* * *

While Haley and Kelly were off to get pampered and prepped for that night's black tie Hall of Fame, Randy started his day in the gym with some intense cardio work. Facing two opponents the following night, he'd need to have his stamina up to be able to go the distance. He knew Ted and Cody would not be as fit as he was as they didn't have nearly his amount of ring time but they had the benefit of a double team if they chose to work together, which meant he needed to rely on his wits and stamina to see him through.

As he kicked up his speed on the treadmill he let his mind drift to back to five days ago, on the last Monday before Wrestlemania, where he had teamed up with his former mentor and enemy Triple H to take on Sheamus and Legacy. He'd been convinced Hell had frozen over when that match card had come out. And, Hunter had made it pretty clear that he still hated his guts and didn't trust him one bit. Yet somehow, and that might have been Haley's doing, they had managed to work together.

Randy wasn't stupid, Hunter would never ever forgive him, not entirely, for what had been done to Haley. Hunter had practically adopted her and the fatherly love he carried for her would never allow Randy to redeem himself in the Game's eyes. But Haley was, dare he hope, his friend again, and she would have reminded Hunter that it was in his best interest to set aside his differences with the Viper, at least for the match. No one got through to Triple H the way she could. And she had been waiting for them backstage when they'd returned, weary but victorious following the match.

Oh, she had hugged Hunter, saved most of her praise for him but at one point she had smiled at Randy from over Hunter's shoulder and there had been pride dancing in her eyes. She hadn't just been proud of Hunter that night, she'd been proud of him too. It had warmed him from the inside out and made him all the more determined to abolish Legacy once and for all, so that nothing remained of the stable that had once tried to ruin her life.

He was so in love with her it was bordering on pathetic. And still he couldn't seem to stop himself from loving her and judging by the lengths he went to in his crazy state to rid himself of her, he certainly had tried. Now, he had accepted his fate. Loving Haley was simply a part of him, a necessity to function, similar to breathing. And with the progress he'd made thus far, he was bound and determined to remind her that she had once loved him back and it would be worth it for her to rekindle those feelings. As this time, he planned to take every care with her heart.

* * *

Dwayne Johnson entered the hotel room Haley had booked for herself and have given him her second key card to, shortly after a late lunch and froze upon his first glimpse of her since she'd cut out early with Kelly that morning. "Haley Baby-"

Haley turned from the window and offered him a hesitant smile. "I know, it's a big change, but once you get past the shock, I kind of like it." Her hair which had been a deep red color when she left was now a mass of large curls the color of golden honey, partially pinned back off her face. It made her skin appear tanner, her eyes darker, deeper and her smile brighter.

"You're blonde!" He finally exclaimed, his eyes still huge in his handsome face. "Like golden bombshell, California beach babe blonde!"

"Yeah," She chuckled at his reaction. "Just several shades lighter than my natural light brown hair color. Kelly suggested it and I really like the way it came out."

His face finally broke into a smile and he laughed. "I do too. I mean it's very surprising but like you said, once you get past that...you look radiant. It makes you look brighter, more confident."

"I feel more confident." She agreed with a nod. "And with the stunner of a dress that Kelly picked out, well I needed the rest of my look to reflect that. Forget Katniss Everdeen, tonight I want to be the girl on fire."

"Haley Baby, there is never any doubt that you will be. You are the true Phoenix around here," He crossed to her in order to press a kiss to the crown of her head. "Life keeps throwing all these obstacles at you, trying to burn you out and you just keep on rising from the ashes. For that alone, you will be always be the girl on fire."

* * *

"_I look so good, without you. Got me a hairdo, lookin fresh and brand new since you said that we're through. Done, with your lies, waving now my tears dried. You can see my brown eyes ever since you said goodbye. I look so good, I look so good without you." - Jessie James_

Haley let out a slow exhale after pulling the zipper completely up underneath her left arm. She had yet to turn around and face the mirror, but she took a moment to just enjoy the satin feel of the dress against her skin. It had been a bit touch and go, but fortunately she had gained back the weight she lost so she hadn't needed to have the dress taken in. Her lean, toned torso filled out the bodice of the dress without being too tight or too loose, especially with the little added help from her strapless push up bra.

So with a happy smile, she stepped in her golden strappy heels and turned to get a good look at her reflection in the mirror. She had told Dwayne earlier that she wanted to be the girl on fire. She wanted to so desperately to be the Phoenix, rising from the ashes of the Haley who had gone down in flames the moment Dave broke her heart. And while aspects of that Haley remained, she was a newer Haley, a stronger Haley. She was now a Haley who would never let a man wreck her life the way he had ever again. And standing there, facing the mirror in a dress that looked like a living flame, she had succeeded.

The skirt of the dress just floated above the floor in the back thanks to her heels, but ascended to reveal her legs by stopping at mid-thigh in the front. It started from the bottom as a deep blood orange that gradually lightened into a pinkish gold at the neckline. And starting from the bottom curve of her hip to the top of her bust was a rhinestone phoenix, wings spread in flight. It made the blonde in her hair appear even more golden and she had complemented the dress and hair with gold and bronze toned make up.

"Eat your heart out, Dave Batista." She murmured to herself, eyes bright and her smile huge. "Just wait until you get a load of what you're missing."

* * *

John Morrison nervously adjusted his tie one last time before stopping outside the door to the room Haley was in. With a sigh, he raised his fist and knocked lightly. Truthfully, suits made him uncomfortable. He felt much more at home in jeans and a cotton t-shirt, but it was the Hall of Fame and that meant formal attire. Fortunately, Kelly had hinted at a color theme in Haley's dress so he could somewhat match her accordingly. Kelly had of course that thought idea would be adore "Like Prom!" as she had put it. So John wore a charcoal gray suit with a blood orange colored dress shirt underneath and a gold themed tie. The coloring had been so odd in his mind when Kelly had first told him what would compliment Haley's dress, but then she opened the door and it all made sense. Or it did once his jaw came back up off the floor and his eyes popped back into his head at his first full look at her.

"Wow." His voice sounded a little strained to his own ears and he couldn't stop staring. "Haley you look phenomenal."

"We match!" She looked absurdly pleased by the development. "Let me guess, Kelly?"

"Yeah." He nodded, blinking. "I love your dress, I love your hair. The blonde is great. You really...wow!"

"Thanks John. You look really handsome tonight. And I love that your shirt goes with my dress." She had a small gold clutch in her right hand, carrying her essentials, and closed the door behind her with her left. "Shall we?"

He offered her his arm, feeling insanely proud to be escorting her tonight. With how she looked, she be no doubt turning heads. "Of course. I'm really happy you decided to go with me to this."

She smiled up at him, looping her arm through his. "Me too."

* * *

It was too much.

Dave hadn't really had the heart to tell Layla, who was under the impression that she had the best dress in the world, but the combination of animal print and glitter that formed a dress so skin tight it left nothing to the imagination was just too much. He'd forced himself to smile and give her a standard you look great compliment, which had been an outright lie since his eyes had been horrified by the tacky fabric that was considered a gown. Add the excess of dark make up and he felt almost sorry for her. Layla was a beautiful woman, she didn't need to go to such extremes in that aspect.

He'd never paid much attention to women's clothing before. Angie had her own tomboyish sense of style when they'd been married that had suited her and their life together. Her dresses had always been simple, plain even, but her looks alone were exotic enough not to need anything else to help her stand out.

And Haley…

Haley had been pure class. She'd known how to dress sexy, without bordering on inappropriate and had always left enough imagination in her clothing to keep men wondering as they looked at her. Dave had always felt a sense of pride with her on his arm. Without even meaning to she managed to be a knockout, especially at these kinds of events.

Dave was hoping Jack Swagger would keep Layla occupied enough that evening, since they were already chatting up a storm in the lobby, that it would appear Dave went stag.

He wondered for a moment what Haley would look like tonight; for if things had gone differently the would have been attending this year's Hall of Fame as man and wife. Regret twisted in his heart as he wished that were so for a moment. He had no one to blame but himself, but he never would have felt the urge to avoid being seen with Haley as he was with Layla right now.

Then the elevator doors opened, John Morrison stepped out first and Dave got his first look at Haley as she came out to join him.

He was pretty sure his heart actually stopped in his chest and if it were physically possible he might have swallowed his own tongue.

She'd gone blonde. A move he never would have expected, but suited her with a soft radiance that made her eyes seem brighter, her skin tanner. And her dress, well it was phenomenal. She epitomized a phoenix rising from the ashes and while Dave had always thought she was beautiful, now she looked ethereal.

He heard Layla's outraged gasp that stemmed from jealousy and Jack's low hum of approval. John Morrison looked both parts awed and proud as he linked her arm through his.

And Dave's heart, which had finally started pounding again, in double time, twisted painfully in his chest. He wanted so badly to go to her, to yank her away from Morrison, haul her into his arms and kiss the very breath out of her. He wanted to re-embrace who they'd been to one another and let everyone around them know that she was his as much as he was hers. But the path he was on had no room for Haley, so he watched them pass, her not even sparing him a glance, and felt his heart break all over again.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was such a bitch to write! Ugh! I pumped out the first half no problem, then it dragged afterwards. I'm having more trouble getting into Dave's head right now I think. I need to go rewatch old matches of his, get reinspired. **

**Anway, Haley (like me I change my hair all the time, though I've been blonde for quite some time now) is really rising from the ashes now. She's got a new look, her confidence and a new man in Morrison, as fleeting as he will be. We all know where she's headed and whom she's headed towards. Next chapter will be very heavily about Randy and Haley for those of you anxious to see his reaction. I'll try to get it out much faster than this one!**


	31. Mine Again

Chapter Thirty: Mine Again

_"There's a place I used to go. There's a world I used to know. There was a light and it was you. Every word I say is true. And I say- Every day I will wait, 'til you're mine again. I will die every day 'til you're mine again. There's no words to explain. No beginning and no end. I will dream. I will pray. 'Til you're mine again." - Black Lab_

Randy took his seat beside Edge in the crowded Dodge Theater, waiting for the Hall of Fame ceremony to start. Around them, WWE Superstars, Divas, Employees and family members all milled about in their finery, socializing before Jerry "The King" Lawler would begin his host duties.

Adam let out a sarcastic snort. "We all know why you're attending stag but can you believe that I, the Rated R freaking Superstar, couldn't snag a last minute date for this shindig?"

"You're Rated R," Randy quipped. "You should be able to say 'fuck' and since you were married to Vickie Guerrero, most of the Divas probably think you're into cougars or something."

"God, that was simply business on my end. I wasn't actually attracted to Vickie like that." Adam shuddered. "Besides, her voice alone is an instant turn off."

"And yet, you still hooked up with her. The things you do for power, Adam." Randy shook his head in amusement. "Why don't you just kick the shit out of people like the rest of us."

"I was trying to follow a Triple H line of thinking." Adam rolled his eyes. "That guy got the ultimate push when he married Stephanie and he's never come back down since."

"Because he's more talented the majority of the guys in the room, and it was easier for him because Stephanie is hot and he actually fell in love with her. So there's that." Randy smirked. "I personally think you have terrible taste in women, Dude if your past is anything to go by. I mean Lita was hot and all, but you set off a shitstorm going down that road."

"Yeah, I don't a reminder, thanks though." Adam slumped a little in his head. "Ha, speaking of my bad taste in women, look at Vickie and Dolph? Disgusting aren't they?"

"You're worse than the Divas, you know that right?" Randy sighed, wishing he had come a little later so he could miss out on Edge's commentary on their co-workers.

"Damn! Layla's dress looks like it was painted on, with ugly ass paint." Adam continued looking around. "Beth Phoenix is looking good though and-HOLY FUCK!" He smacked Orton's arm during his exclamation.

Randy shot him an annoyed look. "What?"

"Dude, take a look at who just walked in!" Adam's expression was completely serious but his eyes were full of shock.

Randy twisted in his seat to look at the entrance, and when he caught sight of who Adam was looking at, he temporarily forgot how to breathe.

The moment his eyes landed on Haley, everything and everyone disappeared. All he could focus on, all he could see was her, in a dress of fire and hair of gold. But it was her eyes that captured him, no longer plagued with sadness, but full of determination, strength, and even joy as she smiled in a way that lit up her entire face. The kind of smile that hadn't been seen in far, far too long.

"Dude," Adam's voice brought him back down to Earth. "You're toast. I mean I knew you meant it when you said she was the one for you, but the way you just looked at her, you're done, Man. There really is no one else."

"No. No there isn't." Randy said, regrettably tearing his eyes from her as the theater lights blinked, informing everyone to take their seats.

* * *

"Thank you again," Haley said to John as he walked her to the door of her hotel room. "For taking me. I had fun tonight."

"Me too." John turned to face her once they reached her door. "I'd like to take you out again, on a real date, just the two of us, after Wrestlemania if you'd want to?"

She lifted her head to meet his eyes and just looked at him for a long moment. There was no doubt about it, John Morrison was very attractive. He had one of those naturally chiseled, pretty boy faces that probably made him one of the most popular guys in High School. His athletic ability and fondness for parkour had him toned basically perfection if his eight pack was anything to go by and his smile could disarm a SWAT team. Then one could add his personality, which was polite and uncommonly kind, especially in their line of work. Oh, she knew he'd had his moments of being a jerk, he had dated reformed bad girl Melina after all, but he'd never done anything to her. In fact, over the past few months, he had been a really good friend.

One she didn't want to hurt for anything in the world.

"John," She said, trying to word this the right way. "I do like you, and this mutual attraction we have going on. But, I don't want to get your hopes up. Some days I do feel more than ready to move on with my life, but I'm not sure I'm ready to move on in a romantic sense. I know we can go out and have a great time and even enjoy our physical chemistry. But I'm worried I'm not going to be ready or able to give you more if that's what you're looking for. My heart is only just recovering."

"Hey, I can respect that." John's smile didn't waver. "I actually hesitated about even asking you to the Hall of Fame because I didn't want to push. I do like you, Haley, a lot. But I also know you were in love with Dave and he yanked the rug out from under you. So I'm not going to start reciting poetry, bringing you flowers or shower you with proclamations of undying love. I figured we could start with dinner, no pressure and then see where it goes from there. My eyes are open, Haley, I don't expect anything from you, until you're ready to give it."

"Ok. Dinner. I can do dinner." Haley relaxed and smiled. "I guess we'll work it out for sometime next week after the Wrestlemania craziness dies down."

"Sounds good. If I don't get to see you tomorrow, good luck to both you and Dwayne. Kick Dave's stupid ass." He chuckled, shoving his hands into the pockets of his tuxedo pants.

"Thanks, John." She leaned forward, kissed his cheek and turned back to her door. "Goodnight."

"Night Haley."

* * *

"_I can see you dressed in red. All the secret things you said. Lying barefoot in _grass_. Now my heart is in your hands. Your hands. Every day, I will wait 'til you're mine again. I will die every day, 'til you're mine again. _There's_ no words, to explain. No beginning and no end. I will dream. I will pray. 'Til you're mine again." - Black Lab_

Two hours later, Haley still couldn't sleep. At first, she thought it might have been because she was sans roommate this week. Kelly roomed with Evan and with both Candice and Stephanie in town for Wrestlemania, Hunter and Rock were with their significant others. With the exception of when she was at home in John's poolhouse, Haley hadn't slept alone on the road since she first joined the company.

Then she chalked it up to Wrestlemania nerves. But this was the first Wrestlemania she wasn't actually nervous about. She wasn't competing in a match tomorrow night, and her safety and well-being weren't on the line like it had been last year when Hunter had fought for her. No, tomorrow night she would stand in Dwayne's corner as he battled Batista in her honor, but she looked at it more as Dwayne taking his Championship because, with his behavior, Batista didn't deserve to be the WWE Champion. She had some small part in their mutual animosity, but she didn't feel like it was about her, not this time.

Hell, she felt like she had more responsibility in the Legacy triple threat match tomorrow since Randy had turned on Ted because Ted had called her a see you next Tuesday. But that had been an implosion that according to Randy had been coming for awhile. Ted being nasty her was just the match that lit the explosion, the dynamite had already been in place.

With an irritated sigh, Haley tossed back the covers and climbed out of bed. She grabbed one of Dwayne's oversize hoodies that she had borrowed and never returned and pulled it on over her camisole and sleep shorts before pulling open the sliding glass doors and stepping out onto the balcony.

She sucked in a few deep breaths of fresh air and sighed.

"Can't sleep either?"

She must have jumped at least five feet in the air when that deep, gravelly voice sounded from several yards to her right.

She placed her hand over her heart and turned to face the balcony adjacent to hers, where Randy Orton stood, in nothing but a pair of black basketball shorts, leaning on the railing.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack." She gasped, forcing her breathing to steady and her heart rate to slow.

He flashed her a crooked smile. "Sorry. I heard your door open and was surprised when you walked out. I didn't know we were neighbors."

"Me either." She admitted. "And to answer your first question. No, the sandman has eluded me tonight."

"Me too. Though if we're talking about ECW's Sandman, we should definitely be grateful." His joke brought a smile to her face.

"I didn't see you at the Hall of Fame tonight." She walked to the edge of her own balcony so they faced each other.

"I was there." His smile straightened and grew, a sight that was so rare it made her breath hitch. "I sat with Edge, we both went stag. I saw you, though. And you were a Heartstopper. Seriously, Haley, you looked beautiful tonight. And I really like the blonde."

She reached up to touch one of the honey-colored strands that hung over her shoulder. "Thanks, it's different. It still shocks me when I pass a mirror. But in a good way."

"Good because I really do like it." He frowned curiously for a minute. "I know why I can't sleep. Restless energy for my impending match tomorrow. What's got you up?"

"My own thoughts. My brain's not shutting off tonight." She told him. "I don't know, I'm feeling a little disconnected from Wrestlemania this year. I wasn't performing well enough to get a title match this year and Dwayne might have gone after Dave because of me, but their match isn't about me. I'm going to be a prop tomorrow, just standing there hoping Layla screws up so I can hit her. Which is sad for me, because I didn't want to be this person. I came here to be a Champion, to leave behind a Legacy that empowers Women's Wrestling and instead I let a guy put me in a slump."

"Haley, the Diva's Division was floundering until you signed with the main roster. You've pushed everyone in the locker room to step up their game if they want to compete with you. It's not about bikini contests and bra and panties matches anymore. You came in like a hurricane and it pushed Mickie James and Melina to quit being complacent and step up. It inspired Michelle McCool to become the perfectionist she is today. It brought in Diva's like Natalya and Beth Phoenix so that you'd have competition. You lit a fire under the Diva's here, especially when you started training with Hunter. They look up to you, whether they admit it or not."

He chuckled. "And every one of us hits a slump. Me, John Cena, Triple H, The Rock, all of us. We work through them. I wouldn't be surprised if by the time Summerslam comes around you're kicking the crap out of everyone who comes your way. We all see you coming back to your old self, but you're different too. You're harder, more controlled. You're wrestling-"

"Like you." Haley finished the thought for him. "Hunter pointed it out the other day. I'm wrestling like you and him too. It's the anger, it makes me more concise with my hits because I want them to hurt especially when I face Layla. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"It doesn't have to be either. You're more ethical than Hunter and I will ever be. So I'd just look at it as an improvement. Yeah, you might hit harder, but you wouldn't go over the line. Not your style. You're going to get your title back Haley, whoever tries to take it from you after, well I pity them."

"Thanks, Randy." She sighed and met his eyes. "You know, last year after Wrestlemania and everything I went to a Women's therapy group, specifically for Women who were victims of domestic violence and-"

He grimaced. "Haley, I-"

"Let me finish. I can see now that you're different. That, I don't know, it's like you flipped a switch and you're you again. The old you. Because when I was in that group, I was able to admit why I was so damaged from what happened. It wasn't because what you did to me was so awful, it was but that wasn't all of it. It was because I missed you."

His expression softened. "Haley-"

"Before last year, when things got really shitty, or scary, or I felt alone, I used to turn to _you_ because you were my best friend. More than Candice, or Jericho, or even Ken. I love Candice and Ken don't get me wrong. But you, you always knew just what to do to make me feel better. To make me feel safe. I didn't even have to ask, you always knew when I needed you, like when you returned in time for Summerslam to help me against Katie Lea and Paul Burchill. So it was hard for me to reconcile the fact that the person I used to turn to was the one I was so scared of."

"I can never apologize enough-"

"I don't want any more apologies." She told him. "I want to believe that you're back. That this version of you is here to stay. Because as much as I love my friends, you've helped me to start climbing out of this hole I put myself in after Dave left me. And Randy I'm scared shitless you're going to turn on me again if I let myself trust you."

He was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "Haley, no one in the world, besides my mother, has been as important to me as you are. And I hate myself every day for what I did to you last year. If I could beat the shit out of myself, I would. The only thing I can do is keep trying to make amends. I will never, leave you alone like that again. I will do whatever it takes to prove that I can be that guy again, the one that makes you feel safe. If there's something specific you need from me, say it, it's done."

"I don't need you to do anything but what you're doing. I'm willing to try and be your friend again. I'm going to try to trust you. Because these talks we keep having, they've been therapeutic for me. I just really can't handle another betrayal. I might actually have a mental breakdown."

"You are the strongest person I know," Randy told her seriously. "I don't think a mental breakdown is something you'd allow to happen. But if there's another betrayal, it won't be from me. I'll be the one standing at your back instead. I'm so grateful you're allowing me to be your friend again, you have no idea. And I will make sure you won't regret it. Whatever you need from me, I'm here."

"I really hope you mean that." She gave him a tentative smile. "I'll be cheering for you tomorrow. I hope you beat the snot out of both those punks."

"Done deal." He full out laughed at that, which made her smile bloom.

"Goodnight Randy. I'll see you in the morning." She stepped back and turned to head inside.

"You want a ride to the stadium tomorrow?" His question made her pause. "I know Hunter and Dwayne like to be there at the crack of dawn. If you want to go in a little later and not worry about parking, you can ride with me."

She had planned on tagging along with Kelly and Evan, but if they were going to give this friendship thing a try-

"Ok. Want to head out at 10?" She glanced over her shoulder and felt her stomach clench when his whole face lit up.

"10 it is. Goodnight Haley."

"Sweet dreams." And feeling lighter and more relaxed than she had before, she went inside to try and catch a couple hours of sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry Guys, finding time to write with all the hecticness that is my life right now was tough. But I've got some down time so I'm going to try and forge ahead.**

**So yay progress on the Randy and Haley front! And smart of Haley to lay out the truth before she and Morrison have their first date. Because we all know that Haley can't give Morrison what he's looking for. Though he is a nice confidence boost for our girl. One guy may not want her, but here's this really attractive, nice guy who does. So it's totally Dave's loss! Lol.**

**Stay Tuned!**


	32. Fire

**Chapter Thirty-One: Fire**

"_Oh if there's one thing to be told, it's dreams are made to be caught and friends can never be bought. Doesn't matter how long it's been, I know you'll always jump in 'cause we don't know how to quit." - Gavin DeGraw_

"Jesus," Randy's oath brought tore Haley's attention away from her phone as he pulled into the parking lot of the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. "The fans are out in force and it's early."

She could already hear the screaming and clamoring of the WWE Universe from where they gathered behind security barricades leading to the WWE personnel backstage exit. "Now we know why both Hunter and Dwayne like to get here at the crack of dawn." She mused.

Randy veered away from the entrance to find a parking spot, his fingers drumming impatiently on the steering wheel. "They're going to go into a frenzy when they see us get out of the car together."

"They're going to go into a frenzy, period." She pointed. "Half of them are female and _Randy Orton_ is here!" She did as dramatic of a fangirl swoon as she was able in the passenger seat of a car.

Randy shot her a smirk. "Right, because the guys there aren't going to be shouting marriage proposals at you."

"I'm not exactly Kelly Kelly." Haley laughed. "She gets way more proposals than the rest of us combined. I'm going to get looks of hatred from your fangirls instead. But it's okay, I can take the heat."

"You're ridiculous." Randy chuckled steering into an empty space and putting the car in park. "We should get this over with. I'm the third match on the card tonight. I need to hit the trainer's, make sure my shoulders are good to go."

"Are in pain?" She shot him a worried look.

"No. I let Jamison or someone help me stretch out to minimize any change of a recurring injury." He assured her, before shutting off the engine. "Don't worry, Haley. I'm good."

"Okay." She slipped her phone into the pocket of her jeans. "So, shall we face the madness?"

"They sound distracted actually." Randy frowned. "They're booing right now."

Haley twisted in her seat to look out the window, then stifled a laugh. "That's because Dave and Layla just got here."

"Oh, well I don't blame them for booing then." Randy reached down and hit the lever that released the hatch of the car's trunk. "Come on, let's take advantage of their distraction."

"Yeah, like that's going to last." Haley joked, but she opened the passenger door and stepped out at the same time he did, plastering a smile on her face knowing that cameras and camera phones would soon be pointed in her direction.

"OH MY GOD! IT'S HALEY MARIANO AND RANDY ORTON!" Someone screamed and the negative attention Dave and Layla had been receiving shifted into excitement.

"Told ya." Haley met Randy at the trunk, pulling the handle up on her suitcase when he set it out on the pavement beside her.

"Yeah, yeah. Just protect me if some fangirl tries to maul me." He slipped the strap of his own back over his shoulder and closed the trunk.

"No promises. Some of these chicks get crazy." Haley joked before she fell in step beside him as they started forward.

The screaming grew louder as the fans begged for autographs and photos. Since they had plenty of time before the official check-in, Haley and Randy obliged them for about ten minutes before apologizing to anyone they missed and headed inside the stadium.

"That one girl looked ready to murder me when you took my hand to bring me inside." Haley joked once the doors closed behind them, muffling the excitement outside. "I am clearly major competition."

"Stop." Randy rolled his eyes, then glared when he realized both Dave and Layla were at the end of the hall. "Great, schoolyard bullies ahead."

Haley shrugged, feeling surprisingly at ease about it. "We can handle it."

"We can handle anything." He agreed and he placed a hand on the small of her back, a silent show of support as they approached Dave and Layla. "Check it Haley, it's the soon to be former WWE Champion. You sleep with that belt last night Dave? Knowing you're kissing it goodbye tonight?"

"Fuck you, Orton. I'm going to break the Rock in half." Dave snapped.

"Yeah, and we'll be celebrating while you lick your wounds," Layla added. "Because there's no way you're beating both Ted and Cody tonight."

"Are you kidding me? I trained them, I can break them." Randy snorted. "Yo Adam."

"Randy, Haley." Edge unceremoniously shoved between Layla and Dave, clapping a hand on Randy's shoulder and hip bumping Haley playfully. "Are we having a party? Because I'm not going to be happy if I wasn't on the invite."

"No party Adam," Haley assured the Rated R Superstar. "Just two people who can't get over themselves and realize, no one actually cares about what either of them has to say."

Edge glanced at Layla and Dave and nodded. "True story, Mariano. Rocky's looking for you by the way and I need to borrow Orton here. That cool?"

"He's all yours." She gave Randy a smile. "I'll see you later and if I don't before your match, good luck. You too Adam."

"Thanks, Mariano, that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside." Edge rubbed at his heart.

"Don't be a dick," Orton warned. "Thanks, Haley."

Haley turned to give Dave and Layla a dazzling smile, which took them by surprise. "See you both out there, I'm looking forward to the front row seat of the Rock becoming WWE Champion."

Then with a little pep in her step, she brushed past them with every intention of finding Dwayne, but not before hearing Adam say, "Orton, your girl is feisty. I like her."

* * *

"_Let's start a riot tonight. A pack of lions tonight. In this world, he who stops won't get anything he wants. Play like the top one percent 'til nothing is left to spend. Take it all, ours to take. Celebrate." - Gavin DeGraw_

"Wow!" Dwayne whistled in approval when Haley stepped out of the bathroom. "Haley Baby you look great! Everyone's going to be so jealous you're in my corner tonight."

Haley did a little spin. She wore an ivory wrap around crop top, paired with light blue skinny jeans and caramel colored leather knee high boots with a three-inch heel. Her blonde hair was done in loose curls that spilled over her shoulders and her makeup was just a bit on the smokier side.

"Kelly," Haley informed him. "I should hire her as my personal shopper."

Dwayne laughed. "Yeah right, you enjoy shopping as much as the next girl. Orton's match is about to start, you want to come sit and watch?"

"John and R-Truth lose?" Haley asked in disappointment when she noticed the Miz and Big Show were celebrating with the Tag Team Championships on screen.

"Yeah, they fought hard, though. Nothing to be ashamed about." He slid over on the leather couch so she could sit down. "You two thinking about starting something?"

"We're going to have dinner. But I told him I don't think I'm ready to get involved again. I think I'm rushing myself." Haley told him. "Besides, being single isn't terrible."

"No, it's not. And you don't have to rush Haley. We don't expect you to fall in love right away again. We just want to embrace life. Losing Dave isn't the end of the world like you first thought it was." Dwayne made a face as Ted and Cody made their entrances. "That Dibiase kid pisses me off just looking at him."

"Because he's a pompous, entitled ass, something you've never been so you wouldn't understand." Haley laughed. "And you're right, losing Dave was not the end of the world. And maybe not now, but someday, I will find someone who loves me as much as I love him."

Rev Theory's "Voices" filled the room and Haley turned sharply to face the monitor screen as Randy Orton made his entrance. "He looks ready to go."

Dwayne smiled to himself. "Or maybe you found him a long time ago and you're just slowly working your way back." He murmured.

* * *

"_We are the Champions, setting it off again. Oh we're on fire! We're on fire! Running our own campaign, doing the whole shebang. Oh we're on fire. We're on fire. Get up, stand up. Throw your hands up. Welcome to the land of dreamers, brothers, sisters, others. Yeah, we on fire like that!" - Gavin DeGraw_

"Come on Dwayne!" Haley slammed her open palm against the canvas as he lay dazed on the mat after Batista had used a sidewalk slam as a counter maneuver. She tried to mentally will him back to his feet, but she knew the wind had been knocked out of him because, despite her dislike of her ex-fiance, Batista had a show of power that made him a Champion.

"Finish him, Dave!" Layla screeched from the opposite side of the ring. "Put his old, irrelevant ass into retirement where he belongs!"

Haley's teeth ground together and the scathing look she cast in Layla's direction caused the Women's Champion to take a hesitant step back. "Watch your mouth, before I come over there and prove who the only irrelevant person is out there."

Layla sneered but didn't respond. She wasn't nearly as tough without Batista standing in front of her.

Haley turned her attention back to the action inside the ring. Batista had the Rock up and in the corner now and was forcing more out of his lungs by driving his shoulder repetitively into his solar plexus. She winced, feeling surreal as she used to love watching Dave do that to opponents in the past.

"Come on." She murmured, wincing again as Batista hauled Rock out of the corner, only to clothesline him.

It had been a good night so far. Triple H had defeated Sheamus with relative ease, Randy Orton had beaten Ted and Cody in an impressive nine-minute bout and Team Michelle had defeated Team Vickie. There had been unfortunate matches as well, where Morrison and R-Truth had lost to Miz-show and Jericho had beaten Edge, but Haley was hopeful Dwayne would put another check in the good column.

But, right now Batista had the upper hand and it wasn't looking good.

And when Batista paused to smirk at her, Haley felt her fingers curl into fists. "Your old man isn't looking too good right now, Hales." He mocked and she wished she could punch that smug look right off his face.

Layla cackled gleefully at his remark, neither realizing this pause to harass her was to Batista's detriment. It had given Rock the minute he needed to catch his breath.

"The only one not looking good right now, Batista, is you." Haley snapped at him. "Because you're about to check into the SmackDown hotel!"

Batista whirled around, right into a spinebuster. The Rock lifted his eyebrows, kicked Dave into place and began to peel off his elbow pad causing the crowd around them to go nuts.

And Layla, the moron, gave Haley the opportunity she had been waiting for when she climbed the apron to shout at the referee. Haley burst into a run, rounding the ring that separated them and jerked Layla off the apron by the ankles. Then to make sure she stayed down, she swung Layla into the security barricade, hard.

The slam on the mat had her turning to see the People's Elbow had struck and now, there was only one thing left to do and the Rock was already stalking Batista for it.

Layla moved at her feet and Haley snarled at her to stay down before turning her attention back to the ring, where Batista was struggling back to his feet. "Come on Rock!"

The moment he was upright, Dwayne grabbed him, seizing him around the chest in order to plant him with his finishing maneuver, the Rockbottom.

And when Dwayne made the cover, Haley counted along with the referee and the audience. "One! Two! Three!"

The bell rang to end the match and Lilian Garcia shot to her feet to announce the victor. "Here is your winner and the _NEW_ WWE Champion, the Rock!"

Haley slid under the bottom rope and into the ring. Dwayne was back on his feet, staring in wonder and pride as the WWE Championship was laid in his hands for the first time in six years. She strode past a stunned and horrified Batista and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

"I knew you could do it." She told him with a little laugh. "Finally!"

Dwayne laughed, wrapping an arm around her to return her embrace. "Thanks, Haley Baby. Couldn't have done it without you. Thanks for taking care of Layla."

"Anytime." She stepped back and pointed to the turnbuckles. "Go, share this with your fans. You are the People's Champion first and foremost."

He smiled, kissed the crown of her head and turned to do just that.

Haley looked toward the ramp, where Layla was trying to console a livid Batista whose face radiated hatred. And with a little smirk of her own, Haley lifted her hand and blew them both a kiss as Dwayne celebrated his victory behind her.

* * *

**A/N: Ha, like Edge said earlier, she's feisty!**


	33. Soldier

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Soldier**

"_Wanna be there just in time, want to be your shining knight, protect you like a soldier. I wanna be the first in line, be the one to save your life. All I want to do is hold you." - Backstreet Boys_

"If you weren't already injured, I'd throttle you." Haley huffed out an annoyed breath of air. "You're lucky you didn't make it worse than it is. Why would you-"

"Because I wasn't going to let that Jabroni win." The look on Dwayne's face was defiant. "And it's Wrestlemania; I wasn't going to stop the main event because of a little-"

"You tore muscles in your groin! How could you even walk? Much less wrestle!" Haley rolled her eyes. "Dwayne, you aggravated it by continuing the match! I know that the WWE Championship is important, but your health is more important. And it's certainly more important than your pride. You can fight Dave another day."

"Haley, the tear is minor. I don't even need surgery. The pain in manageable and I still managed to beat that jackass while injured." He shifted and pressed an ice pack against his inner thigh. "And while yes, I have to relinquish the title, and stay out of the ring for sixty days, which sucks; I can still shoot the movie and Dave lost what was most important to him. Couldn't have happened to a better guy in my opinion."

"I want to see you explain all this to Candice when you get back to the hotel." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Because she's not going to let any of those excuses fly."

He winced. "Don't remind me. Just make sure Hunter gets in on my spot. He should hold off Dave and hold the title."

"Don't worry about Hunter; he's probably already got a plan in place." Haley chuckled. "He's always got a game plan in mind, pun intended."

"Still, you're making so much progress right now, Haley Baby. You're laughing, smiling, hanging out with your friends and competing like the Haley of old, only a little meaner this time. Which is fine because I know you're gunning for Layla and she deserves it." Dwayne sighed. "I just don't want you to lose that because Dave and Layla get back to the top. I knocked him down; he needs to stay down, and you need to keep on rising."

"Dwayne," She gently touched the side of his face and smiled. "I love you very much, you're my family, always will be. But I didn't get my feet back underneath me just because you started beating up Dave. It was fun to watch and cathartic for me, but it's not the whole reason. It's not even half the reason. It's everyone else who got me back. The never ending support I get from you and Hunter, Candice, Kelly, and Michelle. Paul Walker and John Morrison has been perfect for my fragile ego. And yes, even Randy Orton had his hand in me being me again. I'm going to be ok whether Dave is at the top of the company or not."

"I know, but seeing the jerk who wrecked everything in the first place get his candyass kicked doesn't suck."

"No." She laughed. "It doesn't. And I'm sure other people around here can kick his ass. Right now, you focus on healing, and your baby that's due any day now."

"And my movie," Dwayne smirked. "Paul asks about you a lot. You sure you want to start seeing Morrison and not-?"

"My schedule and Paul's schedule is too chaotic right now for anything to work. I am fond of him, always will be. And I'll always be grateful for the reminder that just because Dave didn't want me anymore doesn't mean I'm undesirable. Our flirtation is empowering because he reminded me of my self worth. But he's not the guy, not my man anyway. At least not right now. And I don't think Morrison is either. Morrison's been this steady wall to lean on when things were a bit harsh. And while I agreed to dinner, I don't think I'm ready for more than that and he knows and respects that. He and Paul are just steps on my way back."

"I can respect that." Dwayne nodded. "Especially since it seems Paul feels the same way about you. I can't speak for Morrison; I don't know him that well."

"It doesn't matter," Haley assured him. "What is important is that you do what's best for your health right now and get back to your hotel and rest."

"Jamison's going to do a couple more checks, Haley Baby." He told her. "But you don't have to wait on me. Go, get some sleep. Or go party with the rest of the roster. We'll have breakfast in the morning."

"Ok, if you're sure?"

"I'm sure. Go, you're beat. I'll see you first thing in the morning, I promise." He tugged her forward to kiss her cheek. "I'm proud of you, you know."

"I know. I'm proud of you too." She hugged him gently. "I'll see you in the morning. Call me if you need anything."

"Will do." He gave her a nudge. "Now go."

She sighed but grabbed the bag she'd left by the door to the trainer's room and stepped out into the hallway. She stopped, surprised to see Randy Orton sitting on the floor across from her, playing on his phone. He looked up when she appeared and gave her a tired smile.

"How is he?" He asked.

"You waited?" She blinked. "You didn't have to-"

"We rode over here together; we leave together. That's how it used to work. How it still does in my opinion. I wasn't going to leave you stranded." He slowly clambered up to his feet, his body showing signs of aches from his match. "How's Dwayne?"

"Torn groin muscle." She explained. "He'll be out for about two months at least."

"Ouch." Randy winced. "That sucks, I'm sorry Hales. Are they going to make him relinquish the title?"

"There's been no official order yet, but most likely. He can't defend it, and you know Dave is going to be clamoring for a rematch." She shrugged. "So I guess it'll be open season."

"Sorry Hales, you finally get your revenge, and it lasts less than twenty-four hours." He fell into step beside her as they made their way to the arena exits.

"It's ok. This feud stopped being about me a long time ago. I think Dave's always disliked Dwayne for being pro-you back then and Dwayne hates him for that and the obvious. They just used me as an excuse." Haley smiled when he reached over and took her luggage from her, adding it to his own. "Thanks."

"No problem." He said. "Well I was going to offer, that if it meant a lot to you, I'm done with Legacy, those two won't be coming after me again. I have no problem kicking Dave's ass in his place, title or no title."

"Randy if you want to go after the title, you should do it for you." She pointed out. "You're talented enough to have it. You don't need my permission. You want it, go for it. And if you're beating up Dave to get it, well I won't complain."

He laughed, holding the door open for her. "Well then, I guess I better start getting in the hunt tomorrow night then."

"I think."

* * *

_But somebody shot you down right in the middle of the war outside. Words mean so little when you've heard those lies, you need someone to make you believe." -Backstreet Boys_

Barely twenty-four hours later, Haley found herself blindsided after a successful defeat of Maryse on Monday Night Raw. The hit had connected with the back of her skull, hard and she been up close and personal with the ring canvas before she had realized what happened.

The crowd, as energetic and enthusiastic as every crowd post-Wrestlemania, was revolting as Layla continued her assault, trying to beat Haley while she was down, screaming about how she would never get her title.

"Stupid bitch!" Layla's fingers were snarled in Haley's hair, but the former Women's Champion used a well-aimed forearm shot to the face to loosen the hold.

"Ugh!" Haley followed it up with a solid boot to her sternum. "Get off me you psychopath!" When Layla was finally off of her, she scrambled to her feet.

"I'm going to put you back into the hole you crawled out of!" Layla sneered.

"You've got no shot Layla and you know it!" Haley curled her hands into fists that itched to plant themselves on Layla's face.

"Oh yeah? Well, Rocky's not here Haley, and unlike you, I didn't come alone." Layla's sneer morphed into a smirk, and Haley felt the added weight shift on the canvas.

"Really?" She turned enough to keep one eye on Layla, but focus on Dave. "It's come to this? Are you going to assault me now physically? I thought you were better than that, Dave."

"I'm out here to support Layla. You mean nothing to me." Dave's voice was cold and empty.

"What are you going to do now, Haley?" Layla taunted. "You can't take both of us!"

"I won't have to," Haley spoke to Dave. "You make not care about me anymore. But he does, and he's about to kick your ass."

Dave frowned in confusion and turned, right into a hard tackle from Randy Orton.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Layla screamed in frustration, then charged making a beeline for Haley.

For her part, Haley didn't think, she just reacted. She could have scooped Layla up, planted her with a spinebuster. Or caught her in a Rockbottom. There were plenty of moves she could have chosen to do, but instead, she pivoted, threw her shoulder into Layla, seized the back of her neck and dropped her with an RKO.

She kneeled on the canvas after, stunned. She had used the RKO only a handful of times in the past and hadn't thought of performing in it in over a year after their fallout. She barely registered Randy clotheslining Batista over the top rope to the floor below. And she blinked in surprise when Dave dragged Layla's dazed out beneath the bottom rope.

"You don't touch her you son of a bitch! You hear me?! You don't touch her!" Randy was yelling in Dave's direction as they retreated up the ramp. "Haley's going to take your bitch's title, and I'm going to make damn sure you never get your hands on the WWE Championship. It's war again, Dave and this time I will end you and your pathetic excuse of a career!"

"Randy." Haley shook her head and got back to her feet.

He turned to her at the sound of her voice. "Are you okay?" The rage melted from his face into concern. "Are you hurt? I'll get you to the trainers."

"I'm all right." She shook her head. "Thanks to you, I'm just fine."

* * *

"_I will be your soldier. I'll stay and fight until it's over. And if your heart is getting colder. You know I will always be your soldier." -Backstreet Boys. _

"I hate him," Haley stated darkly, keeping her eyes glued to the passing scenery outside the passenger side window.

"I know." Randy took his eyes off the road for a second to look at her in worry. "I'm sorry, Haley. You were already upset about Dwayne's injury and now-"

"Sheamus had no right!" Haley exclaimed angrily. "Hunter was trying to give a heartfelt retirement speech for his best friend! After everything they went through all these years, he and Shawn earned that moment, and Sheamus not only ruined it by attacking Hunter with that lead pipe. He hurt him."

"I know Haley; I understand how upset you are. I don't blame you. But you're not alone, okay. I know when shit gets tough; you rely on those guys to see you through, but you're not alone. I'm not going anywhere. I don't care if I have to fight Dave, Sheamus and the rest of the locker room." He promised. "And they'll be back and more badass than ever. Meanwhile, I will help you hold down the fort."

"I know." Haley looked at him then. "Randy, you came out and helped me tonight, and you didn't have to. I don't think Dave would have hurt me, not physically, but we didn't have to find out because you were there."

"Always will be." He nodded. "Hales, we're going to get you your title back, and I'm beating Dave to that WWE Championship. And if Sheamus wants to join in, I'll RKO him too. Which you performed great tonight by the way."

"I didn't even think about it until after I did it. I just dropped her." Haley shifted in her seat. "I don't know, it's like you and I are okay again, so it's okay for me to use it."

"It's always been okay for you to use it. Though I would have been peeved if you'd used it on me." He joked. "But if you want to RKO someone, by all means. I love watching you do it."

"Right now it's going to be Layla, or Sheamus if I ever get the chance." She sighed. "Randy, what are we going to do? We can say we'll get the titles, but we don't have a plan."

"We'll wing one." He reached across, fumbling a bit until he found her hand and squeezed. "We'll figure it out. We have to go to SmackDown this week so that we can start there. Layla's in need of retribution for her cheap shot, make a statement. I'll keep at Dave until he has no choice but to fight me."

"And Sheamus?"

"We'll deal with Casper the Ginger ghost if he becomes a problem." He sounded confident. "We'll figure this out, Haley, together."

She returned the pressure on his fingers and nodded. "Okay, together."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this is late, but you know me, life tends to get in my way. Randy is Haley's soldier huh? Always ready to go to battle. This slow burn is about to catch fire, so some of you are about to be very happy. Stay tuned!**


End file.
